Poems & Other Works
A Note to Readers - January, 2025
Below are links to several of my published poems, updated from
last year. First, a word about the anthologies where my poetry has
appeared.
The Senior Class - 100 Poets on Aging, edited by Laurence
Musgrove (2024, Lamar University Literary Press). This volume
assembles a beautiful chorus of distinct and accessible voices
describing in a variety of poetic forms what it means to be a
member of our aging society in America today. You will find
poems on a wide range of familiar senior topics, including
changing dynamics in family relationships and marriage, mortality,
grief, eldercare, retirement, gratitude, earned wisdom, senior living,
physical and mental decline, and spiritual reflection.
No Season for Silence - Texas Poets and Pandemic, edited by
Milton Jordan, was published in 2020 (Kallisto Gaia Press,
Austin). In this volume, nine Texas poets reflect on the fears and
courage, the semi-isolation, the limited mobility and other
experiences of that difficult time.
Upon publication, first responders, medical professionals, and
community volunteers, who sacrificed to help others through the
ordeal, were given copies of the anthology in heartfelt thanks.
The Dead Pets Poetry Anthology (Transcendent Zero Press,
Houston, 2023), edited by Damian Ward Hey and Rick C.
Christiansen. In this volume, 70 poets pay tribute to beloved pets–
integral parts of our families and our lives– that we have loved and
lost over time.
All profits from the sale of this anthology are donated to animal
welfare charity.
Lone Star Poetry - Championing Texas Verse, Community, and
Hunger Relief
(Kallisto Gaia Press, Austin, 2023). In this volume, Editors
Laurence Musgrove and Milton Jordan bring together a selection of
poems published in 2021 by Texas Poetry Assignment, an online
journal established to inspire community through poetry and
hunger relief.
A portion of the proceeds from each copy sold is donated to the
Feeding Texas hunger relief program.
The following four poems were published at The Texas Poetry
Assignment online poetry journal.
Sleeping Beauties
Several times a year, I visit Houston where I grew up and lived for
many years of my adult life. My usual route takes me through
downtown Houston, past store fronts and office buildings that hold
a wealth of memories. This poem began taking shape as I drove by
the old Sakowitz Bros. building, vacant and forlorn, a sad reminder
of the glory days of the high-end retailer. I began thinking of my
mother's collection of shoes purchased from Sakowitz, though she
never went into the store.
https://www.texaspoetryassignment.org/texas-questions/sleeping-beauties
Old Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Texas, was a bustling town long before Houston was
established. Eventually Harrisburg was overtaken by her near
neighbor; but the streets, and some of the structures, survived long
after. As a member of Holy Cross Episcopal Church on Medina
Street when I was growing up, I became acquainted with the area
and found it very intriguing. Many years later I delved into the
history of Harrisburg as part of the research for my novel, WIVES
AND MISTRESSES. This poem pairs my childhood memories
with some of the facts that emerged from that research and made
old Harrisburg seem very real and haunting to me.
https://www.texaspoetryassignment.org/texas-towns/old-harrisburg
Red Convertible
What young man of my generation didn't dream of owning a red
Corvette? A quip from my husband back in 2008, when we built
and furnished the home in Cherokee County where we would
retire, came back to me when I replaced some major household
appliances following his death in 1923. Remembering his
humorous observation still makes me smile, but on the day the new
appliances were delivered, the memory took on a note of
poignancy and inspired this poem.
https://www.texaspoetryassignment.org/texas-cars/red-convertible
Waiting for Someone to Come
Several months ago a mass shooting in Georgia by a 14-year-old
boy dominated the news. Seeing the video clip of the youth on the
day he was arraigned, and reading the story that emerged about the
tragedy of his family life up to that point, I began wondering, what
if? his upbringing had been vastly different and more stable.
Shortly I ran across a magazine story about the Shaker community
in Sabbathday Lake, Maine, and found myself writing a poem that
juxtaposed the life of that community upon the life of the 14-year-
old killer. What if...?
https://www.texaspoetryassignment.org/texans-report/waiting-for-someone-to-come