Spring is the season of mud and wild violets The self-importance of tulips Green vines creeping up old oaks And cherry trees in radiant bloom – Arms stretching wide and high Pink and white blossoms exploding softly with beauty and…
Pepper and Poems
Here’s a Bacon poem for the sadness of today. In time there will be a far better country song or novel. In the meanwhile, here’s this. I’ve been thinking about what we owe each other. And the journeys we’re on….
In February it rains and rains and rains while unhappy pets sit at windows wishing they weren’t stuck inside. Yards are muddy and sludgy and spotted with pools of standing water. An especially large pool developed in the back corner…
My friend’s daughter, a freshman in college, just wrote her first article for the school paper (The Crimson) – “Top Five Reads for a Vicarious Valentine’s Day.” Allison Pao’s intriguing list includes a link to one of the best poems…
Pepper and I returned from a damp and dreary walk in the neighborhood one recent afternoon. Early crocuses blooming at the base of the old oak tree were the only signs of a spring still distant. As we approached the…
It’s not a snow day in Nashville yet – but it might be! The schools are closed. I’ve cancelled my morning appointment and dinner plans. This is how we roll in the South, dear readers who live elsewhere. Billy Collins…
There’s something to be said for the things we can’t make New Year’s Resolutions about. The things we can’t change, coming at us like a freight train – or with a whisper. Today’s poem by Ellen Bass offers some food…
It’s 5 degrees in Nashville this morning and there’s not much to recommend it. In times like these one turns to art for consolation. A winter song comes to mind, sent by my friend Jack Barnwell and dreamt up by…
Kevin Crumbo and Captain Jack Sparrow were up early this morning, one of them sad. From Kevin: “Don’t you think 4:00 am is a bit early to be tuning a guitar?” Jack said as he pondered why I wasn’t gearing…