the wind blows incessantly here
lifts up the edges of unrooted intention
carries off the vestiges of all that remains vague, ungrounded
if you have not battened down your hatches with outreaching action
be prepared to be blown to smithereens
endlessly circling your personal vortex only brings you back
to conversation with yourself
where lies the delight and wonderment?
myopia is so very short-sighted
there are unimaginable worlds yet to see
trees wiser than any who walk among us wave wildly
to what lesser gods do you bow and bend?
the lilacs maintain their branched existence
long after their lavender nectar is sucked dry,
they await the unfolding of a new cycle
neither fear not regret diminishes one single blossom
a clean sweep divests all ambivalence:
make your choices now before the churchyard of your soul
is littered with the scraps of untethered musings
and the topsoil of your truth evaporates in a heat-soaked brew
change is a tireless lover
calling you back to release time and again
broken connections and the gnarled undergrowth of past calamity are the first to go
what purpose do they serve but to weigh one down with draining indecision?
hoist your sails and seek cover in a protective shoal,
clinging in desperation to the old is fraught with bluster
a wall of frenzied possibility is no match for the deeply planted
there is a new breeze come upon us
today’s weathering will shape your existence for the next million years
beyond the twister comes the sweet wafting zephyr
let the gusting and howling begin!
words divinely wrought 
I have self published a book in 2010 titled “Stuff That Matters”. Although all proceeds to charity and the books sold have been minimal, there is always the satisfaction of self expression and perhaps a lasting legacy of a better man. My poetry is more a story told with a few attempts at cryptic and intangible. I am ready to publish another titled “Doorway of Dreams” in support of the homeless and don’t wish to use a University Press publisher again.
But I thought I would ask as….Thx for your feedback.
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What great projects, Rob! I have just discovered an intriguing website, kickstarter.com, which offers up a very creative way for artists/writers/filmmakers, etc. to secure backers to help move projects forward. I have been seeking a new way to have full control of my work without going a traditional self-publication route — and, in fact, am ready to learn to do my own letterpress printing and then take my poetry show on the road. Not sure if the kickstart site will resonate with you, but you might want to take a peek.
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You truly have an amazing gift to bridge the void between emotions and words.
For those of us far less talented and just starting out on the adventure of exploring our feelings with a fleeting hope to describe through poetry, could you suggest a few publishers?
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Rob,
Thanks for your appreciation. Even though I have been a professional writer for most of my adult life, and have had several gift books published, I must admit that my poetry (rhyming and non-rhyming) has not followed any predictable path. I open up to it, get out of the way, and the words present themselves to me. Oftentimes the vocabulary, imagery, even the voice, are unfamiliar — and I must check the dictionary to see what “my” words actually mean.
I have only submitted my poetry here and there to a few websites or competitions because I haven’t discovered my niche. Many of the journals lean to “Poets” with a capital P who have MFAs or academic credentials, of which I have none. In another case, I was told my poem was “above” the intended audience, so go figure. As a professional writer, I know all too well the agony and ecstasy of publication.
This frustration led me, in part, to start my blog, and I post what I want, when I want. Knowing nothing whatsoever about you and your poetic leanings, I would invite you to consider why “publication” matters at this moment? Creative expression is such an intimate action,especially in the early, tender times. There are so very many websites and blogs for communities of poets/writers, but I am a bit of a lone wolf so they’re not my flavor. Maybe you would benefit from a supportive community of other poets? Or, maybe you would like to start up your own blog? Or have you participated in an Open Mic in your area? Not trying to evade your question, but the fact is, I have no concrete answer. And, truth be told, the more authentic and truthful your poetry becomes, the more courage is needed to put it out into the larger world. Have you visited some of the poet links in my right-hand sidebar? Some of those folks blow me away with their nakedness! Please visit and Comment again, Rob — when you’re not writing poetry, that is!
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Ed and Bradley,
I am touched by your responses to my work. It means so much to know that one’s words can find their way deeply into others’ hearts and minds. Nope, I don’t see myself ever stopping. Even though I do go in and out of creative cycles, it’s hard to imagine this wellspring ever going completely dry. Ultimately, it’s not me doing the writing; I do my best to get out of the way and let the words do their thang.
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To say you have an amazing way with words would be a gross understatement. You are a master of the written language and you conjure essays and poems with such wit and style that at times I feel I am lost in a refreshing sea of sincerity and spiritual intelligence. Truly inspiring. Please don’t stop. :)
– Bradley
http://search4divinity.wordpress.com
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this is a hall-of-fame graph:
trees wiser than any who walk among us wave wildly
to what lesser gods do you bow and bend?
the lilacs maintain their branched existence
long after their lavender nectar is sucked dry,
they await the unfolding of a new cycle
neither fear not regret diminishes one single blossom
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this just flat-out stirred me. i mean, there are too many beautiful lines in here, and they add up to an internal experience that runs deep (roots) and outward in hope. you use that tree image and the earth and just smear it throughout the piece. god, you are fabulous.
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