Poetry For Now

I am sitting here in a wild Florida summer monsoon storm: rain, thunder and lightning.  You will probably hear the sounds of the storm and this is a perfect backdrop for the idea that nothing physical is permanent and that everything - almost everything - is changing every moment. You will hear poems about how technology, time and nature change AND we can create our own unique future. Support the...

In this episode you will hear about Ernest Hemingway, Tea and the wonderful, positive impact the pandemic shutdowns have had on the natural world.  My hope is that we can continue to protect and support the natural world intentionally, instead of simply as a side effect. Support the show

Its May 16, 2021 International Day of Light and International Day of living together in Peace.   Yet we are now witnessing a horrible conflict in the Middle East. Many years ago Swami Muktananda gave a talk:  Life is a play of Sunlight and Shadow. You cannot avoid seeing both, but you can choose how to experience them.  I personally have negative and positive feelings that I may choose to express,...

May 2021 - for over a year we have been living cautiously waiting for this pandemic to go away.  We have been resilient and flexible.  We must keep resilient, and we can keep learning about resilience from many unexpected sources, such as: Toothpaste and sunscreen. Tricolor Herons Magnolias Swamps Scam callers!!   Support the show

Covid is still with us, so simple delights of being in nature and reading a good book are pleasant rewards and a good use of the extra time we have saved by buying over the internet instead of “shopping around”.  This episode tells stories in short poems about birds, books & buying in this new reality.  The final poem honors EARTH day and our place and role as human beings on this special Plan...

It has been one year since we started this podcast, so now it seems the right time to restart with Season 2 Episode 1.    Springtime -  Just as we have hopes of emerging from the worst of the Covid pandemic, we have emerged from one era of political leadership in the US,  into a new world of leadership focused on recovery and regeneration, rebuilding and rebalancing.  This time can become our gold...

Do you remember when as a child you played on a seesaw, shooting up high and coming down with a thump absorbing the shock with your bent legs.  It is Spring 2021 and these poems reflect my personal and our communal seesawing experience of the last few months. The poems are about:  the Covid Tipping Point;  Our most powerful fears; Aging: Zooming;  Ups & Downs of life;   Not quite saying goodby...

In the last year over half 1 million Americans have died from Covid   This is more than American service people died  in all the wars since 1900.  We can celebrate the power of science, but we have nothing to celebrate regarding the power of humanity to protect our fellow human beings, our precious earth and it's biodiversity. LET’S WAKE UP to this Global reality and take action! This episode...

This episode started being about finding the truth, the reason for being in this human body, but as life evolved and our water heater leaked, a new story sprang up - so this episode recognizes that physical bodies and the things we collect will all be unimportant in the end. You will also find out a little about "stamp collecting" and more! Support the show

Episode 33 - LET IT BE In the last 11 days we have celebrated Valentines day and "NEW Presidents Day" and completed the second impeachment trial of the 45th President and in February 1964 the Beatles first landed in America! In this episode we experience nature's beauty, we celebrate the country moving forward in new directions, and ponder how we can understand each other better and...

Inspired by the poet Billy Collins, Martin's poems share experiences from walking in Iceland, exploring exciting European Cities, Bhutan and Nepal in 1978, when it was relatively free of tourism. Support the show

These poems are about cleaning up our lives, our email, our "ToDo" lists and perhaps even National Politics. President Biden has been in the White House 7 days and he is cleaning up.  Let's take it one small step at a time! Support the show

This podcast has become a journal of a tumultuous time in human history.  So I choose my words very carefully to reflect my reality, my vision and my hopes in ways that uplift and enlighten.   The poems here tell stories and I request that  you start to create your own story for 2021. I also discovered a way to invite you into different views of the world and places I treasure in the poem:  THE IN...

Welcome to belated episode 29.  Since Christmas 2020 I have felt in a negative creative hole, a black hole, as if in the calm before an unknown storm - now I know why.  2021 is a turning point in many ways.   This episode takes us from 2020 through the events of January 6th, 2021 to an optimistic view of 2021.  Expect more episodes soon! Support the show

On December the 21st, the winter solstice arrives here in the Northern Hemisphere, lengthening days and shortening nights.  In December Hanukkah and Christmas are religious celebrations full of light. Then we can get ready to celebrate the coming of 2021, a new year.  Let’s consider every hour and every day a celebration too.   The music in this episode was recorded informally in May 2019 in Tusca...

Courage has been on my mind as during the last week or so,  this country has seen integrity and moral courage on the part of those state officials responsible for certifying the election results, under political pressure; and with the surging wave of Covid infections across much of the country, health professionals have served selflessly and with courage.  Over 20,000 have died from Covid, worldwi...

We seem to be living in a world of politically driven illusions.  A democratically defeated president and his devoted followers continue the hypocritical illusion that he really won, because this time the election was crooked, (of course, it was not so in 2016).  Also one quarter of a million  deaths by Covid -19 seem to be  ignored, or even denied by many. I am grateful for the reality and beauty...

It’s been a stormy period this week for the USA, in different ways.  Let’s all be grateful that this contentious time will soon be completely gone, and we can move forward together in harmony. in this episode we explore the stormy parallels between nature and politics. The time has arrived ....for listening and healing....now we act as one Red wine uncorked....counting votes almost complete....rai...

Especially in these uncertain times we can stay present, keep seeing the  perfection and uniqueness of each moment and experience;  and use our minds to remind us of good times, and to take us to places where we experience tranquility and clear our minds again.  Baba Muktananda, a renowned yoga master, said:”Your mind can be your worst enemy or your best friend.”  Poems in this episode are inspire...

Human consciousness is amazing we can choose to be in the past, the present or the future with our memory, our breath, our will and our imagination. Now in this turbulent time of politics and pandemics,  explore how we can Beam ourselves to places of peace and delight, discovery our own Holy places.  Please travel with me to some I have found in my travels around our world. Support the show

The Arhuaco people of northern Colombia gave Tenzin Priyadashi, the author of Running Toward Mystery, the gift of strands of agave fiber woven together into a bracelet.  This represents the web that we are all part of, with mother earth and each other. The poems explore :Each action, each word has an impact somewhere in this fabric. We cannot wait for Elections to be done, Covid contained and we o...

When poetry speaks to me it reveals and uncovers the truth. So I have to honestly write poetry from my heart as well as my mind and reveal what is my truth.  Politics and democracy in America are going through a tough time.  I want goodness, unity, compassion and morality to win - however for our own peace of mind we can get ready to FORGIVE and get ready to move forward into the future no matter...

 It’s been over 6 months since the Pandemic has been acknowledged, and for many people life has become increasingly difficult.  Where you focus your mind creates emotions. Emotions move you to action. now is a good time to refocus, clarify your purpose, use all your talents and find more joy.  We hope this podcast helps you move along this path.  2 of the GOOD people featured in a poem are RBG and...

What Epic story describes our current situation: Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Harry Potter, the Mahabharata? After about 6 months of the Pandemic, It is 16th of September, and it’s been an epic 2 weeks of pandemonium in politics, Covid, wild fires and hurricanes that have distracted me from creating uplifting and slightly humorous poetry.   With some help from inspiring thinkers and doers I hope...

This is a light hearted look about baking, shopping, sharing food with neighbors, my grandmother's breakfast and addressing food insecurity during this Pandemic period. Support the show