Posting these literary poems where people can enjoy them pleases me. Even poems that have landed in books, magazines, or anthologies will find a wider audience here, while poems used to the quiet solitude of my desk drawer will get to see the light of day and meet readers like you! (Art fans: Look for literary poems inspired by the work of well-known photographers and painters.) Please request permission by email, including full copyright information on each copy made. For internet use, a link back to this website is required.
FINDING THE POEM YOU WANT: As you scroll through this section, simply read each snippet sample (usually the first four lines) to get a feel for the poem. When you find something you like, click “CONTINUE READING” to view the entire poem.
Of all the treasures in the earth
and underneath the sea,
no prize is valued more than this,
nor held more gratefully:
Zada was woman, “the lucky one.”
She fed them from her rich, round bowl—
the milk of human kindness, poi of pain.
Protected by the
dark, we cling
to blind security.
We’re yellow at
the center
egg whites of our
eyes won’t see.
Listen as the rhythm
of a heated, humid day
meets the drumming of a
fevered, fertile night.
If you must cut me,
do the job with crystal.
Let ruby gemfire
lick (then burn)
your litany of
leavings
on my palm.
Don’t let the green grow
underneath your feet.
It could be grass, you know;
though eerie green’s been
seen to bode no good.
Nesting in a tree,
resting on its roots,
red-caped superhero sporting
camouflage boots.
she always made him small
it was her eyes
he blamed them,
claimed they cut him
down to size
she said he lies