The Poet's Room

St. Mary's Cemetery Richland Center, WI           A friend in distress called this morning.  Suicide had taken a family friend.  Suicide rates are up with the economic turmoil created by the Pandemic.  Last fall another friend lost a brother to suicide. Evidently his brother's failing business drove him over the edge. As someone who has experienced his own dark night of the soul I understand the pain and suffering that could lead to such a bleak conclusion. I feel lucky for I found help and learned to turn those feelings of shame, worthlessness and desperation over to The Power That Flows Through All Things. God is one of the  names frequently used for that power! Losses pummel us, soften us, open the door to the heart that can break from the sorrows of life yet heal in loving through those sorrows. Sorrow opens the door to greater compassion for others struggling.... when we recall what our desperation felt like. (To view the video with music and hear this blog read click on t

      My wife Darlene and I bonded many years ago while backpacking in the Wind River Range not far from the Teton Mountains. Afterwards I wrote the song "Where Wild Flowers Grow" which I dedicated to her. The words to the song follow. (Click on the link for video & music.)    Where Wild Flowers Grow (A Hiker's Hymn for Darlene) 1)  Wild flowers don't grow in window sills, Natural beauty rarely occurs in a city, Lace up your boots, let's for a walk, Out where crazy trees, grow from naked rock. Out there we'll find wind and rain,  Open skies with clouds and stars, Let down your hair feel the blow, Take off your shirt feel the cold.  2)  Sky pilots grow on mountain tops, Above timberline fragrant prayers eddy, One foot step at a time on a narrow trail, Up where lupine blanket hidden meadows, Out there we'll find lakes and streams, Glaciers melting under a summer sun, Stretch out, lay down, with your love, Feel the warmth of ancient stone; 3)  Columbines

* Fledgling Eagle & Redwing Black Birds! (Photo Courtesy; Jerry Davis)        Austere means severe, without comforts or luxury.  Northern winter lays bare the bones of being as if life holds its breath waiting to exhale. Viewing the winter scenery through the windshield of my truck as I drove home on Lincoln Road, I began composing the following poem. Austere Winter Austere winter; Snow blankets Every earthen fold, Bare trees Stand as dead Waiting To be Reborn;     Yet winter's austerity after summer's verdant lush growth prepares dormant earth for the next spring and new growth.  Every living thing has it's season. We too enjoy our season of growth, raise children who bear grandchildren. To my delight my grandson Sam in fourth grade wrote the following poem then read it for us on face time.  Look Outside Look outside The sky is blue Look again, it's you! Oh yeah! Building a Snowman That looks fun! Look outside The sky is gray What a bad time we are having today. We

  Bill & Eagle Contemplate Each Other!     Twas the day after the Packers lost another chance for the Super Bowl, as I pondered weak and weary over yet another squandered year of Rodgers' great career there came a message buzzing with muffled vibrato on my cellphone communion door, pushing the button I felt sure it would say; No! No Packer Super Bowl! No! Never more! Instead a picture of a bald eagle held by a friend with the message; "Have a visitor tonight too weak to fly for some reason. Or maybe just despondent over the Packers' loss"     Yes, even that soaring symbol of our Country, which shares the same air we breathe, that great majesty too felt the cloak of gloom emitted  from Lambeau Field.  A despondency so heavy that it could no longer fly, came to the ground luckily nearby to where a settled homesteader tends chickens and vibrant garden when home.   Bill with help from his roommate Jeff secured the eagle then brought it inside. "Bird" happens

  A New Friend -- No Social Distancing Required!       Humor the ability to laugh, especially at myself is essential to maintain spiritual balance and growth.  I took the picture around Halloween with my new friend. A neighbor. Yes, we had a nice chat. I did most of the talking. He only said "The Bare Bones."   One weekend many years ago after feeling depressed I wrote the song, "Bad, Bad, Feelin' Bad Blues." An exaggeration that immediately lifted my spirits. Haven't been able to pull that Vlog together yet. Bookmark that one for a future share.    Today I want to share an exclusive with you my friends, relatives, comrades on this spiritual journey called life. This exclusive offer comes with a money back guarantee. The World Will Not End Today! Yes, I guarantee that The World Will Not End Today! If you partake in this exclusive offer... an exclusive offer offered as a free trial to you my friends... you can get in on the ground floor of the next Internet P

    We all start out so small, a microscopic egg in our mother's womb. Time, nourishment and love allow us to grow up. I wrote Spirit Dance eighteen years ago as Darlene and I were driving back to Wisconsin for the birth of the first Grandchild.       Here he is on his eighteenth birthday with Donkey. Donkey is a story in our relationship. As a very young boy sometimes we would babysit him. Frequently we would watch Shrek together. Donkey being one of the main characters for an early birthday he received Donkey as a present. Things of course changed as he grew up. After a few years of growth he decided he was going to let Donkey go live somewhere else. For sale at their garage sale Darlene decided we'd adopt Donkey. Of course Donkey being an extrovert and Darlene and I being introverts Donkey doesn't get out much.... just at Birthdays. Donkey would complain if he could really talk... but such is the life of a stuffed toy... he can't... so I usually do it for him.... jus

   Darlene & I send you seasons greetings and wish you and your family the best for the holidays and the New Year ready to start.     Seasons change. A few years ago in winter while snow fell on a cold day I wrote the song Midwinter Dreams of You! The longing for a more conscious connection with the power that flows through all things. The lyrics are below: click on Midwinter Dreams of You to hear my recording.  Midwinter Dreams of You! Snow falls softly down, Covers over frozen ground; Trees like statues stand Sentinels in icy wind; Midwinter dreams of you A longing hard to express Words always fail Can only suggest the tale; In a cavern deep in white gown  You never sleep, Tucked beneath your breast, The eternal flame You caress; There it pulses and glows  Throughout the dark abyss For all who would be blessed For all who would bless; Your warmth spreads through the night, Bringing dreamers to the light, Midwinter dreams of you A child quickening in the womb You're the only