of a son
Oh, the irony... I accept submissions of poems from other writers at The Skeptic's Kaddish, but, ironically, I have never submitted any of my own poems for publication. True, one of my poems was published in Masticadores India, but that was only because Terveen Gill, the editor, was kind enough to extend an invitation to… Continue reading Forcing myself to submit my poems for publication
Poetry Partners #21 'bird & bat', a poem by Shay Simmons of 'Shay's Word Garden' bird and bat both claimed the sky and each to that element kept-- except one by day and the other by night, in nest or cave where they slept. bird had no fur, and so to keep warm began to… Continue reading Infinitesimal pipe, or: Night song of the breeze
A Crystalline My daughter was three-and-a-half when Papa unexpectedly died. She had no concept of death then; by four-and-a-half, she did... a bit. "Is it right that my grandfather died?" She asked once, on the way to shul. I had been reciting kaddish for Papa every day for a year. All those months, I'd tried… Continue reading Fiction, or: Fact
An American sentence: She fears our deaths and hers; with forced humor, I play down their likelihoods. What's an 'American Sentence'? Allen Ginsberg, inventor of the American Sentence, felt that the haiku didn’t work as well in English. Ginsberg decided to remove the line structure of the haiku, maintaining the requirement of 17 syllables total.… Continue reading Death, or: Taxes
An American sentence: Having my first grader injected with a brand new vaccine scares me. What's an 'American Sentence'? Allen Ginsberg, inventor of the American Sentence, felt that the haiku didn’t work as well in English. Ginsberg decided to remove the line structure of the haiku, maintaining the requirement of 17 syllables total. He felt… Continue reading Mind, or: Heart
Poetry Partners #4 'The Footbridge', a poem by Michael L. Utley of 'Silent Pariah' That derelict footbridge Has finally failed Stranding us on Opposite shores Of the abyss Words Like rotted planks Litter the gorge Below Desires and dreams Dashed Upon indifferent rocks Silence is all I hear from you Subdued echoes Of regret Perish… Continue reading The footbridge, or: Overarching
It could be that the very idea of health is a plant seeded within fertile as we are unwittingly desperate as we are arable sown watered , sweat flowing from our over our down our onto our full flowering forceful , feracious , , fe,,, f f d'Verse Poetics 'Dungeons and Derivatives' The idea of… Continue reading Thanatophobia, or: Pit
This week Sunday I picked my daughter up from preschool on Sunday afternoon for a playdate with a friend. When I picked her up, I sensed that something was wrong by her mood and behavior; she was being overly emotional about trivial matters (e.g., she was upset because a ribbon had come off her balloon).… Continue reading Did I have COVID-19?
The skeptic's kaddish 
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