What We Find When We’re Not Looking

I am watching Gilmore Girls and going through my poetry master list. I’m first of all making sure I actually have Google Docs for each poem, and that I’ve got them categorized: ready to submit, still in drafts, think twice about submitting, published, and ?? for the ones I somehow lost track of. (How theContinue reading “What We Find When We’re Not Looking”

Must be Santa, Must be Poems, Must be Lasagna!Ā 

It feels like graduation day for a poem when it gets accepted for publication, when I get to move it from the ā€œReady for Submissionā€ to ā€œPublishedā€ folder on my laptop. This morning, I just did that for another poem, ā€œRooted,ā€ one about my son. It will go live on my birthday over at PoetryContinue reading “Must be Santa, Must be Poems, Must be Lasagna!Ā “

I See a Red Door (And I Painted It That Way)Ā 

Now Listening to: ā€œLove Shackā€ by the B-52’s Alternatively, ā€œPaint it Black,ā€ The Rolling Stones  Let me share some good news before Word Raccoon jumps in here. She’s not happy with me today.  I am pleased to report that Red Door Magazine out of Copenhagen is publishing my poem ā€œGrecian Urn, Busted.ā€ It had beenContinue reading “I See a Red Door (And I Painted It That Way)Ā “

Dutch Ovens, Drawings, and More Poem Darlings

This morning, I huddled with my tea (in the Jane Austen mug, naturally) and the falling snow, all of us quietly keeping company. I’m not usually a snow person. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s beautiful. But cold means having to be indoors, away from my friend the sun, and snow is a visibleContinue reading “Dutch Ovens, Drawings, and More Poem Darlings”

Rain, Word Raccoon, and a ā€œRuefledā€ Morning

It’s a rainy morning, which I don’t mind, not today, but Word Raccoon protests as if I control the weather. I’m placating her with classic Christmas music and our favorite umbrella. I tossed a pair of earrings into the bag before we left. I’m onto her. Just before walking out the door, I discovered ourContinue reading “Rain, Word Raccoon, and a ā€œRuefledā€ Morning”

And That is Everything, Word Raccoon Says

I woke this morning knowing I’d turned a corner. Not loudly, not with a sunrise and a soundtrack, but the kind of quiet shift you almost miss unless you’re paying close attention. Grief is sneaky like that: one morning, your body remembers how to breathe before your mind does. Today, I feel lighter.  As ifContinue reading “And That is Everything, Word Raccoon Says”

Word Raccoon Gets Suspended (In Print, Not From School)

NOW PLAYING: The Christmas Song. Nat ā€œKingā€ Cole forever, duckies! Word Raccoon is pleased to announce that the issue of Suspended Magazine, Volume 3, that she has wriggled into is out today. My poem, ā€œWhat Does a Poem Do When No One’s Watching?ā€ is in it. WR says that technically, she’s the one doing thingsContinue reading “Word Raccoon Gets Suspended (In Print, Not From School)”