Connecting Through My Published Writings

Explore my published writings where I craft words into vivid portraits of human experience. In these pieces, I delve into the complexities of emotion, inviting you to sense the unspoken. Whether exploring life’s intricacies, navigating the challenges of hope and resilience, or sharing impactful moments, each publication adds to a larger picture of human connection and understanding. 

A Glimpse of My Works

Yellow and Red Flowers in a Green Bucket and a Butterfly

Fractals

In the kaleidoscopic realm of Fractals, my words dance on the page, weaving a tapestry of intricate emotions that transcend the ordinary. Published in the esteemed Bangalore Review in November 2023, this piece reflects my fascination with the fractal nature of existence – the delicate repetitions, the echoes of emotion, and the subtle rhythms that compose the symphony of life. Each word is a brushstroke, painting vivid landscapes of introspection and exploration.

I have published writing, the vast majority poetry, in over one hundred literary journals both online and in print.
I am listed in the Poets & Writers “Directory of Writers.”

A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.
—Thomas Mann

If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.
—Elmore Leonard

Hole in the Head

In these poems, pieces featured in the Hole in the Head Review, my narrative takes an enigmatic turn, inviting readers to navigate the uncharted territories of the human experience. With prose that resonates with the unspoken, this work seeks to unravel the complexities of emotions, leaving an indelible mark on the reader’s soul.

The Visit

Step into The Visit, a creation nestled within the digital pages of Ariel Chart in December 2021. In this evocative piece, I guide readers through a poignant encounter where emotions unfold like petals, revealing the beauty within vulnerability. The narrative breathes life into moments, inviting readers to read and feel.

Pool with People's Legs and a Rainbow Flag in the Background

We Can Get There

Join me in the contemplative journey of We Can Get There, another soul-stirring creation showcased on Ariel Chart in December 2021. Through expressive verses, I navigate the labyrinth of hope, resilience, and the indomitable spirit, inspiring readers to believe that even in the face of adversity, we can reach the destination our hearts yearn for.

Sample Poetry

“Links” and “Progression” Sheilia-Na-Gig
“Listen”: Burningwood Literary Journal
“On Any Given Day You Are,” “One Life,” and “Lauderdale The Rye Whiskey Review
“Journal of the Plague Years: Two,” “Women in Movies,” and “last rites”
New World Writing Quarterly
“Realms: Demeter and Persephone” Stone Poetry Journal
“Marked” Woolgathering
Open: A Journal of Literature and Art Featured Series Devotion: Haibun
Rust and Moth “A Painted Lady Can Be A House or a Butterfly
BlazeVox 16 “Over a Dark Lake” “architecture” “Kahlo”

“Links” and “Progression” Sheilia-Na-Gig
“Listen”: Burningwood Literary Journal
“On Any Given Day You Are,” “One Life,” and “Lauderdale The Rye Whiskey Review
“Journal of the Plague Years: Two,” “Women in Movies,” and “last rites”
New World Writing Quarterly
“Fractals” The Bangalore Review
“A Month in the Country,” “Mushroom Hunting,” and “Dear Benjamin Franklin” Hole in the Head Review
“The Visit” Ariel Chart
“We Can Get There” Ariel Chart
“Realms: Demeter and Persephone” Stone Poetry Journal
“Marked” Woolgathering
Open: A Journal of Literature and Art Featured Series Devotion: Haibun
Rust and Moth “A Painted Lady Can Be A House or a Butterfly
BlazeVox 16 “Over a Dark Lake” “architecture” “Kahlo”

Sample Flash Fiction

“Ain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do” The Phare
“I Cannot Get You Close Enough” South Shore Review

Sample Essays

“Land and Water” Punctuate
“Seven Reflections on Isolation” Quillette
“Setting the Pace” Spillwords
“Prairie State” Inlandia Institute

Sample Memoir Pieces

“State Line Avenue” deComp
“Clouds in the River” Pithead Chapel

Journal of the Plague Years: One

All wars are lost.
The people I face every day are not the people I face every day.
I want ecstasy but your sensible shoes lie smug at the foot of the bed.
If I could touch a face and not forget it, I could die and not regret it.
No one should have to watch their lover leave on a train.
I laugh as the shower curtain pops its hinges one by one.
The altar wavers like a mirage.
I drink the holy water and pee on the outside of the church.
I do not have one life.
He tried to salvage our relationship like it was half-burnt toast.
After Bozo retired and needles were found in Girl Scout cookies, I went into hiding.
None of this has happened.
None of this has anything to do with me.
I see your face in the moon: cheeks like windswept sand traps.
I thought we were going to have sex, but we had pork chops instead.
A day drinking: the T.V. is what I hope for most—a blur with voices somewhere near.
Always the return to you in the night like a bat to something detected in the wavy space around it.
Sometimes flotsam. Sometimes something with a root.
Dreams flare like flamingos into more light.
How will I know when I arrive at the place I most desire to be?
What if you recover from your life?
What happens next is happening.
I am almost who I’m meant to be.
My head: an old house overwrought with too many dreams.
Burnt slippers on an asylum floor.
The debris is necessary.
The sun, strong old warrior, lies down in a cloudy bed of ember.
I was the river once. He was the sea.

Published in Gargoyle

Connecting Through My Published Writings