pledge break

Richard Loranger, an Oakland poet and friend, sent out an ask for A New Pledge, something to update the hand-over-heart salute to the flag you remember from grade school. This is the one I offered:

I pledge allegiance to the love

that gets us through the night,

and to the compassion

that lends a hand,

even to the hate-filled and ignorant,

and to such friendship freely offered

as brings together

work of justice and play of freedom

forever, for all

*****

I still have the old pledge memorized, so the words and the rhythms of it were called up. The other night, lying in bed, a first line came, then a second, and so on. Rare that I write a poem in my head and then go to the page. 

Read the growing page of pledges at I Need a New Pledge. Richard says he will continue to add to it as pledges are sent to him. 

Heart Demons

For Heart Demons I write a personal essay each month. Currently I am working on December’s essay. I started the essay with no idea where it would go. Not an unusual method for me, but maybe it works better with poetry? The writing is good, but so far it seems to be two or three different things, each going off in its own direction. I enjoy the writing, and “do things you enjoy” seems to be advice to grievers. 

Yesterday’s post here about Kent’s haiku — and going through the stack of papers where I found it — made me sad. Only a few days after Kent died back in May I wrote a Heart Demons essay, tears pouring down my cheeks. I have plenty more to write about him, of course. So far the writing has mostly been about me, with the haiku post the first where Kent gets to talk for himself, if only for three lines. 

Heart Demons is hosted by a platform called Substack, which makes newsletters easy. Substack is the hot thing right now — or it was when I signed up last year. i created an account but writing a newsletter just seemed one more thing. How would it be special? I already have two blogs. I think what got Heart Demons into reality was Kent’s health. We couldn’t travel and I had energy to burn. I had Autobiography of a Book to promote, too, and Substack, being the hot new thing, was generating attention. Maybe I could take advantage of that? Somehow? 

As with LoveSettlement, Heart Demons gets its name from two poetry notebooks. I title my working notebooks after I’ve been writing in them for a few months. I write more about how I chose the title in the first Heart Demons essay. If you haven’t checked it out yet, please do. 

“Mum” at Big Windows Review

Big Windows Review has posted the poem

“Mum” 

I had a poem in Big Windows back in 2019: “you have come to a certain place”

“I Can’t Dance” at Cobalt Weekly

Cobalt Weekly has posted the poem

“I Can’t Dance”

The editors are closing up the weekly, but, they say, they will still be publishing books. 

five poems in #Ranger

Five poems appear in #Ranger, issue 4, spring 2024:

“exact the veil flagrantly”

“the well-curled tip”

“room for advisement”

“a while ago in the dj booth”

“another well recently intercepted”

#Ranger’s motto: “Art that’s not vanilla”

A print issue will be available this summer print-on-demand from Lulu.

two poems in Berkeley Poetry Review

Berkeley Poetry Review, issue #52: When the World Moves On, contains two of my poems:

“A Window”

“A Wind Is Blowing”

Of the theme the editors write: “‘When the World Moves On’” speaks to evolution and memory in a changing world.”

This is the first time I’ve had a poem in BPR since I was on staff back in the early 90s. BPR can change greatly from year to year. It’s a student-run publication, thus whether enough students show up will determine whether there is a BPR in a year. Some years, nothing. In this academic year the staff seems to be promising two issues. They are currently open for submissions. 

If you would like to read issue #52 online — or want to download the whole thing — you can do so at this link. 

“What Has a Secret Life” in Parliament

First publication of 2024:

“What Has a Secret Life” 

in The Parliament Literary Journal, Winter 2024: Secrets