March Madness and Lucky Charms

I heard a news clip that had someone trying to explain March Madness, the basketball variety.

When I think of March Madness these days, my brain goes to the traffic in the South Florida area.  It's been heavy since October, but this month has been especially aggravating. 

On Wednesday, I staff the office for the evening hours, so I head home between 8 and 9.  Usually one of the advantages to those late hours is that I zip right home in under 15 minutes.

But not last night.  It wasn't as bad as trying to leave the office at 5 p.m., but it took me 30 minutes to drive the 8 miles home.

But enough about my woes.  Let's turn our attention to poetry!  I'm happy to report that 2 of my poems have been published at the wonderful Escape into Life site.  I'm always interested to see what editor Kathleen Kirk creates with the intersection of art and poetry, and this feature was no exception.

The theme:  Lucky Charms; my poems "Talismans and Treasures" and "Praying the Breviary at 30,000 Feet"--one of my poems takes a somewhat traditional approach and one less so--can you guess which is which by the titles alone?

Go here to see if you've guessed correctly; you'll need to scroll down to find my poems.  Along the way, you can see how all of the poems interact with each other, and how they interact with the art.

And if you like seeing how poems interact with each other, you still have time to order my forthcoming chapbook, Life in the Holocene Extinction.

I love the title of the chapbook, but I do worry that people will think of it as too bleak.  What I didn't anticipate:  that people might not realize we're in the middle of the 6th mass extinction for our planet, and that some have labeled it the Holocene Extinction.

But my collection is not altogether bleak, although it does ask the question:  "How shall we continue in our daily life in the middle of a catastrophe, a catastrophe we do not comprehend fully?"

The answers are varied:  shopping, finding meaning in work, caretaking, strengthening our relationships, spiritual practices, and engaging creatively.

So, order now, while it's on your mind--avoid the last minute rush!  And order some extra copies--poetry makes a great gift!

To order, go here.