New poems today! Find them in the spring 2019 issue of the wonderful Leaping Clear, an art and lit magazine featuring work born from contemplative practice.

Today is the first day of spring, and I can hear it. The frogs are out at night, singing to drown the roar of the too-near freeway. Towhees have begun to call with the first stroke of sun.

Tomorrow is World Poetry Day! I’m reading poems out loud to celebrate. I started this morning with one about spring; there are so many vernal celebrations in verse to choose from. Mary Oliver’s dryly named “The Poet Comments on Yet Another Approaching Spring” is a joy that’s worth seeking out.

I just spent some time (on the road and) at a poetry workshop, and let me just say: those weirdos who say that speaking poetry aloud makes it come alive in a totally different way? 100% right. I’m one of those weirdos now.

If you’d rather hear someone else’s voice, let poets do the work for you: attend a reading. They’re easier to find than I’d ever imagined. If you’re in the Portland area, you’re cordially invited to this one next weekend, which includes — holy heck — me. Or this one, featuring Sherwin Bitsui, who writes wild and visceral poetry that’s incredible to hear out loud, plus a bunch of other poets at Copper Canyon Press I can’t wait to hear.