Poetry For Now

Goodbye 2022 10 years ago Queen Elizabeth 2nd named 2012 Annus Horriblus - well in some ways that could be said of 2022 with a war and a continuing pandemic…. However the 8th day of Chanukah and Christmas Day 2022 met in a blaze of light.  And almost real Winter finally hit Naples Florida after 8 years of living here.  Both good reasons to feel gratitude and have a laugh.  And we can start fresh i...

These poems reflect some of my experiences as we moved on from Greece to Ireland. One of the many conversations we had in Ireland, on the streets of Dingle, was with Arthur Broomfield, the poet, and I start with a poem inspired by his book Ireland Calling .  It imagines a childhood in the Greek Islands and then in Ireland.   The delightful music was recorded in pubs and on the streets as we travel...

 My grandmother was born when travel was by horse and carriage and lived to experience jet planes.  I never ceased to be amazed by the easeful transformation of time and space experienced through air plane travel.  This podcast shares our experiences of this in Greece in August 2022 The Odyssey Starts -- We wake up in another world Island Memories -Brilliant bleach-white boxy houses Magnificence a...

We have been traveling in Europe for 6 weeks, arriving back in the US September 28th just as Hurricane Ian hit our home town of Naples.  Finally finding a way back 4 days after it hit we gratefully found our home and community which is 4 miles from the beaches, unharmed, unlike much of Naples.  This episode focuses on Hurricane Ian's impact in Naples, nature's resilience and my other &qu...

Living in South West Fl these last 7 years have given a me new perspective of nature and its wonders.  These reflect some of these experiences. Support the show

These poems came as I reflected on the choices I make every day: How I spend my time, what I read and listen to, and consequently what I think about. A theme is that it is easy to get caught in a virtual world of electrons - but Nature is all around us offering beauty and joy. Support the show

Relationships only truly succeed when we breakthrough the barriers, the walls that divide and separate us.  Some of these poems are inspired by Robert Frost's line "Who doesn't love a wall!".   Two poems are inspired by those first unique experiences we have in our lives, particularly as a parent. Support the show

June is going by so fast.  We spent 2 weeks away from home as wars, school shootings and inflation flashed across the media.  Thankfully being in Nature always refreshes me and gives one hope. The poems are about my experiences in Florida & Shenandoah National Park... and a couple of almost private family jokes! Support the show

As a younger adventurous traveller I had many experiences and lessons to learn.  These poems reflect some of those, and they are not at all in chronological order. The summer of 72, part 1 takes place in Colombia  Before you know takes place in Nepal Greece: takes place on the Pelopennese Peninsular Support the show

Taking care of the earth and nature comes naturally once you take a walk slowly, appreciating the plants, animals, insects and birds around you. We are lucky to have a small nature preserve on our doorstep.  You will also hear Kassandra' s gong concert where she plays using the Fibonacci pattern. Support the show

This episode has 3 poems: "National Poetry Month" is a humorous poem about poetry book titles. "Go to the Page with a Heart as open as the Heart of God" takes this title from a line in a book by Elizabeth Stroud. "Journals" is about what goes into our journals and where they all go! Support the show

While our human family suffers in many places around the globe, from Covid and war, Ukraine is staring us in the face.  In our safe and peaceful lives here in the US we must do our best to do whatever we can to reduce pain and bring back joy soon.  We cannot let despair win. The poems include: The sun will shine!   Neighborhood Gong Concert.  The Joy of Bread. "In conclusion" has suggest...

Every day since Russia invaded Ukraine I have written something that’s help me process this awful situation; a reality that the world is facing today.  As I listened to this steel band I felt that steel can create music & pleasure or destruction and pain.  It is our choice. The poems came day by day, starting on Saturday (February 26, 2022).  The courage of the Ukrainian people is celebrated a...

GOING WITH THE FLOW- Billy Collins, the great American Poet, suggested pick a starting subject and just keep writing, allowing it to surprise you - and keep at it until it ends.  What is poetry? Good question!  These poems led me to old memories and some new endings.  The last poem was sparked by Mark Doly’s poem - this is your home now. Support the show

Hearing that my friend Curtis passed away in his sleep shocked Kassandra & I.  We have know him for about 30 years.  He did not died from Covid.  Curtis was a little younger than us and this makes me aware of our own mortality.  Most of these poems came from reflecting on this very recent experience. Support the show

Happy New Year 2022.  As I contemplated ideas to start this year with a fresh uncluttered perspective, I recalled the life changing experience of my walking the Camino de Santiago, so  I looked through my books and found a couple of poems I wrote that capture the opportunity this New Year offers.  I also received a photo from an old friend of the new snowfall around his home in Maine, which led to...

Season 2 Episode 15 - A JOURNEY’S END Life has many journeys. This is a short episode to complete our 2021  European trip which ended in Holland.  (please see photos on the website) Over 50 years ago I was in Amsterdam. Have I changed more than the city? Now more multicultural than ever. More extraordinary museums celebrating its artists. More culinary delights and friendly people. Sounds you hear...

Trapped in the sequencing of time, poetry for now becomes poetry for when?  I wait, sinking in the quicksand, of poetic inspiration about the Danube trip and our daughter’s wedding.  The truth is poetic inspiration and words happen in a moment -  which is “Poetry for Now”.   So I am going back in time to recreate the moments through my journals and photographs, reliving the scenes and times.  Thes...

In this episode you will hear poems about the completion of the Tour de Mont Blanc, which is about 120 miles long and as you might have guessed from episode 12 the vertical ups and downs make this route seem a lot longer.  One of the beauties of this walk is the opportunity to go through 3 different countries and experience the different cuisines and languages. Support the show

After 6 weeks traveling in Europe I have thousands of images to process and select, from my hike around Mont Blanc, my daughters wedding in Germany, and our river cruise down the Danube. I start the TMB Hike and this episode in Les Hoches, France and will continue in episode 13 in Italy and Switzerland. Writing poetry requires uses a different part of the brain from the visual processing of the im...

It is over 2 months since Kassandra and returned from Colorado, and only 1 week since we returned from Europe.   This podcast completes our National Park odyssey.  I am left feeling I want more time in South Eastern Colorado, so we will return to explore more.  Please visit my website to see images that complement these poems. (www. thewalkingpoet.net ) Support the show

This 3rd episode of our National Park trip continues in Cortez, near Mesa Verde, and we travel to Montrose and the Black Canyon of Gunnison.   Next stop, after a surprising drive, is Crested Butte. In Winter a ski resort, in summer a mountain biker’s paradise.   Please go to thewalkingpoet.net and the Season 2 webpage to see photos. Support the show

This is the second podcast following our trip through national parks and local hikes.  In this episode we are in Utah, where we stayed 5 days in Moab, exploring the area before moving on to Mesa Verde. Support the show

It's been about a month of silence from me. During that time Kassandra and I have traveled to six national parks and I completed a landscape photography course in the Badlands of South Dakota. Now I am preparing for a walk around Mont blanc. At the same time I have been editing thousands of photographs taken during our trip. Strangely I find it difficult to be creative visually and with words...

These poems came out of a  few days in DC the nations capital finding the RENWICK Gallery of Folk Art  inspiring and discovering the outside artwork and murals on the Metropolitan bike trail and buildings around Washington DC and also  experiencing the National Zoo.  The last poem was written in 2011 about WARLI art created in India.  You will see the connection! Support the show