Collected Poems

The poems in this collection were written between 1965 and the present. In a sense, they all sprang from my early years growing up on a farm in Michigan. Free to roam, I fell in love with nature, its moods and creatures, the rich earth and night stars. As was true when I performed music, my goal was always to convey emotion, to reach the reader's heart. The language is generally straightforward, often colloquial, even, at times, archaic. There are mysteries to unfold in life, no doubt, but I hope, no mystery lines in these poems, decipherable by me alone. I have always stuck pretty close to meaning, like burdock burrs cling in an overgrown field. I sought to come upon just the right words and to polish them until they shone like smooth pebbles in a clear stream. The poems are grouped in four, overlapping thickets, for a semblance of order. Those groups are titled: "Pastoral Poems", "Poems-Puerto Rico, New York City", "Love Poems", and "Wee Word Poems". That said, all poetry depends upon a sympathetic reader. I truly hope there are those-willing to walk a ways with me.