Poems from 2024

October

Out there in historyWe have learned all the virtues of formlessness

A culture in which we can thriveIt is one thing to know there is chaos,

Care AgainThere is a God-shaped hole

Less Imposing PrinciplesNature has no purpose,

Journeying OnesWe were the journeying ones,

No Leg UpGaze with me into this crystal ball

Many, Instead of OneNature is both good and evil,

GeniusThe genius wanders through a field still wild

We didn't moveWe didn't move,

Caught in the GearsThe wailing expands our horizons,

BeastsOur ideas have not caught up

The Loss of JusticeThese are the pieces of our lives

The Discipline of VirtueThey have too much freedom, but who can stop them?

DreamingWhat won't men do for a bit of dignity?

The Source of Most ProblemsI have been to the mountains,

DignityDignity is imbued through participation

Nothing but ChaosHumans live always on the edge of a knife,

Plants in Their SoilWhen the peasants arrive, then you know

August

Ancient MastersThe ancient masters still know best,

Everyone's WrongEveryone's wrong about everything,

On the VergeHere we go, on the verge

The ClockThe Clock is a cruel master, compelling

Where You Are SteppingPower attracts the power-hungry, who,

She's ThereI cannot find her, Sophia, the maiden

A WarningLost sheep want the shepherd's crook.

Good Left UndoneHow many wise men live quiet lives

Somewhere Other Than BeliefI see you there, pacing, remembering

Kindle the FlameKindle the flame, turn the hearthstones,

The Fulcrum of TimeIn the face of death, who stands?

July

AssassinationIn those moments when everything changes,

A StartLet this be a start, and let it

The Wind and My Place in ItCan anyone remember the point of it all,

JusticeHow does one answer them, naked

Things Unseen Though KnownIn the beginning, one finds God

Surely We Know BestIt is a miracle each time, but,

As All Time Passes ByLove is a reason to suffer,

Tethered to FreedomHow do I cope with it, spent

June

Itself as a PrizeIf one should ask for me,

Good EnoughWhat did I want from her anyway?

Believe in the DawnIn the twilight there's Caesar Augustus,

Sending SignsIn the moonlight, one can see

A ReliefIn the deep,

All as OneWhat is to become of it,

Set to ExpireI find myself where I always was,

March

Cultural MarxismCall it what you will, but I

Upon the DawnSomething now is seeming, and the stars

In Our MidstThere's a story that goes untold

Anti-NatureSomebody tell the president

All Must Again Be DecidedIf posterity glances our way, they may say

Wait For MeWhat for me, I am thinking, it only

Whatever ComesIt has been said and rehearsed that mankind is…

Speak It Out LoudLet it be remembered

Seeking AuthorizationNone of these thoughts have been authorized

Machine State of MindThe problem with machines is they never change.

The Task of ManLet us turn the page here, and let us ask

February

If I Yearn For MoreThe president stumbles, like so many times,

No MoreSomething in the soul cries out, "No more!"

A Time is ComingA time is coming (it always comes)

True HealingI have often thought over how

New HealingIs there another way, out past ways that were tried

Through the UnknownIf I venture out through the unknown,

More AuthenticSomething changed a hundred years ago,

CarefullyIf I wander out into the ether,

The FluxIf you really want to know what you are doing,

Response to a QueryYes, Athens is in the Bible,

January

Never What It Used To BeAs Augustus created political morality,

Life Over VictoryI see them, streaming in numbers beyond compare,

Savage DewI knew what she wanted, but not what I wanted,

Beyond the Locked DoorI'm awake, and the gods

It may also help youI come to ask you at this lonely hour

All Man Has BeenThe Romans did a number on Europe,

The Ship of RomeLet me sing for you about the ship of Rome,

DoubtI have lived with this ache in my side

I speak for the peopleI speak for the people when saying to the Christians