Been writing poetry since my early teens except for a 30-year sabbatical to make advertising.
My first published poem appeared in The Canadian Forum when that journal meant something to Canadian poets and I was in high school.
The piece was about my Latin teacher.
She was beautiful and for 35 minutes each day she taught me naked.
Watching her stroll back and forth, turn and reach, bend and stretch was very pleasing but so distracting I was failing the subject.
My English teacher used the success of the poem to embarrass her into giving me a passing Latin grade in exchange for which I agreed to leave school permanently.
After discovering the manipulative power of creative writing I was happy to drop out and get a job writing advertising copy. This paid much better than going to high school or making poems.
In 2006 GREF, a publishing arm of York University’s Glendon College published my first volume, User’s Guide To A Blank Wall, 64 of my poems with French translations by Daniel Soha. I think the book may still be available on Amazon.
I’m hoping to have a new manuscript organized by fall ’08.
Several quotes from well known writers are in my mind all the time. I think about Molly Peacock calling poems, “ … little miracles of understanding.” I guess it was Coleridge who first said that a poem is “ … exactly the right words in exactly the right order.” I rely very heavily on a quote from D.H. Lawrence. He said, “Never trust the teller; trust the tale.”
I love reading poetry and I’m no snob. If a poem has a line that blows me away, some original imagery or if it exposes a rare truth, I’ll get very excited. I don’t demand perfection. I am aware that some people read poetry the way Jerry Seinfeld dated women, seeking the flaws and then obsessing on them. Not me. It probably shows in my work.
My first published poem appeared in The Canadian Forum when that journal meant something to Canadian poets and I was in high school.
The piece was about my Latin teacher.
She was beautiful and for 35 minutes each day she taught me naked.
Watching her stroll back and forth, turn and reach, bend and stretch was very pleasing but so distracting I was failing the subject.
My English teacher used the success of the poem to embarrass her into giving me a passing Latin grade in exchange for which I agreed to leave school permanently.
After discovering the manipulative power of creative writing I was happy to drop out and get a job writing advertising copy. This paid much better than going to high school or making poems.
In 2006 GREF, a publishing arm of York University’s Glendon College published my first volume, User’s Guide To A Blank Wall, 64 of my poems with French translations by Daniel Soha. I think the book may still be available on Amazon.
I’m hoping to have a new manuscript organized by fall ’08.
Several quotes from well known writers are in my mind all the time. I think about Molly Peacock calling poems, “ … little miracles of understanding.” I guess it was Coleridge who first said that a poem is “ … exactly the right words in exactly the right order.” I rely very heavily on a quote from D.H. Lawrence. He said, “Never trust the teller; trust the tale.”
I love reading poetry and I’m no snob. If a poem has a line that blows me away, some original imagery or if it exposes a rare truth, I’ll get very excited. I don’t demand perfection. I am aware that some people read poetry the way Jerry Seinfeld dated women, seeking the flaws and then obsessing on them. Not me. It probably shows in my work.
- Member since June 20.
- I'm a tigereye texture poet for 1278 comments.
- I am a man (Canada)
- When I'm not writing, I'm editing.
- I support the site as a gold member
- I am in the groups Winklings
- I have 1,278 comments, 1 contest
My Poetry
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First, we need to apologize for the absence of a Christmas letter last year and the year before. Florence wanted to put something in the m8 lines, 10 comments, October 2
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My dream sat in silent shadow
on the pavilion steps while your dream writhed34 lines, 17 comments, September 17 -
47 lines, 16 comments, September 3. In Adult
Visitor Book
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Night Hope on September 17
By the way...a (very) belated welcome to AP, Poet. I've been a member since June 2004. I know a lot of very talented & inspiring people here, should you run out of pieces worthy of your perusal. There are many links on my author's page, a map of sorts. Thanks for your visits. 
Dunbar
http://www.web-books.com/Classics/Poetry/Anthology/Dunbar_PL/index.htm
Lorca
http://www.boppin.com/lorca/
Dickinson
http://www.poemhunter.com/emily-dickinson/
Millay
http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/m_r/millay/online_poems.htm
Eluard, Neruda, Hernandez
http://www.freenetpages.co.uk/hp/freeman/index.htm
Bronte
http://www.digital.library.upenn.edu/women/bronte/poems/poems.html
Frost
http://www.ketzle.com/frost/
Keats
http://englishhistory.net/keats/poetry.html
Khayyam
http://www.okonlife.com
Tagore
http://www.terebess.hu/english/tagore5.html
Neruda
http://www.poemhunter.com/pablo-neruda/poet-6638/
Paz
http://www.geocities.com/poesiamsigloxx/paz/paz2.html
Gibran
http://www.leb.net/gibran/works/prophet/prophet2.html
National Geographic
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/petra.html
Duir Waigh Gallery ~ "Knock on the Duir" trailer
http://www.duirwaighgallery.com/inspiration_trailer.htm
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Sanshay on August 30
Oh please tell me your latin teacher did do personal classes naked, I may have passed my classes then too...cept mine was a man of around 55 and not that attractive even in his clothes! -
lovelylittleworld on August 6love love love love your life story about the manipulative power of creative writing and the nude latin teacher.
*my* latin teacher was a fat old curmudgeon, and my difficulty in the class had nothing to do with him distracting me, but simply my difficulty with that damn language! (although it *was* distracting when he'd walk between the rows of seats and his stomach would bump against my shoulder..) -
Night Hope on July 14 Thank you for visiting my pages, Poet. I've just moved, so haven't been online much lately. I appreciate your time.
