A Hastily Written Tribute to a Master

At the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, circa 1979

Happy Birthday, William!

Or may I call you Will after

all this time? I've never

cared if you were squat or tall,

a glovemaker or an errant spouse ever

since I joined, at age 10,

the giddy band of fans who

for centuries have frolicked in the woods

where your fairies, queens and shepherds

plot and toil and kiss. Again and again we slip 

our feet into the shoes of your thwarted 

lovers and velvet-lined villains. We revel 

in the snap and sting of Beatrice's wit

and the fire and ice of Hamlet's

loneliness. And on our tongues, your 

phrases perpetually dance --

In my heart of hearts

Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow --

as familiar as lawn, as jay, as 

sun, with the beat of each line moving us 

forward, calling us to create, whether

in ink or on this earth (this precious stone

set on the silver sea) our own version of

a brave new world.

Of the Forest at Annie Bloom's Books!

What a thrill it was to read with poet Mimi German last week at the livestream event for Annie Bloom's Books. Signed copies of our new books are now available at the store!

Mimi, who's an activist/advocate for houseless people, has written a breathtakingly humane collection of poems called Beneath the Gravel Weight of Stars. 

My book, Of the Forest, was the 2nd Place Winner of The Poetry Box Chapbook Contest, 2021. The story of three siblings, a spouse and a surname, the collection is threaded with poems that hint of danger while also celebrating love and the sumptuous pleasure of language itself.

To watch a recording of the reading, you can click here.