BACK STORIES: WHERE THE POEMS ORIGINATED

Introduction: Written during a summer morning on the northwest coast of Oregon, beneath Neahkanie Mountain.

A Hobo’s Heart (1997): Images and feelings that arose while hiking at Amicalola Falls, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, near the Georgia-South Carolina state line.

Recycling Honeysuckle (1993): Written while watching spring fold into summer in a forest near Audubon State Park, KY.

Child-Trust (1992): How sweet it is, if we can only live in the trust. Written at Ananda Village, in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Northern California.

Riverstone Runes (2002): Written during a 30-minute period at a writing retreat I co-facilitated in Hondo Valley, New Mexico – Billy the Kid’s hideout.

Uplifting (1995): Written at Kitkitdizze, the long-time domicile of legendary Beat novelist-essayist Gary Snyder.

The Nature Man’s Playground (1995): In honor of Northern California naturalist Joseph Cornell, who embodies the essence of John Muir more than anyone else on earth.

Within a Hike (1986): A great eagle’s roost sits atop Topanga State Park near Los Angeles – and from it, inspiration is easily attained.



Druid Greets the Redwoods (1991): A moment of ancient recognition, captured at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, CA.

From a Gnarled Fir at 10,000 Feet (1993): The stark realization of sky, wind, cold and altitude in the high California-Nevada Sierra.

Harvest Moon Over Hotevilla (1991): What a sight: moonrise in September near the great First Mesa on the Hopi Reservation, AZ.

Value of One (1985): While spending a winter alone in the backwoods of Kentucky in 1985, I had a nice little snowflake revelation.

Himalayan Cloud-Drops (1990): I wrote all of these haikus while trekking through the Nepalese central highlands. We rose and fell between 16,000 feet and 2,500 feet during a grueling three-week, 180-mile trek. Images and connections were plentiful.

The Dirty Guitar (2005): Jack Williams is one of the greatest lyricists in American folk music. He also plays a wonderful concert. I raced back to my desk and penned this after seeing one of his shows.

Dreamtime in Another’s Sleepy Realm (2003): Sierra Blanca, NM is the southern terminus of the Anasazi Nation. The 12,000-foot peak also contains the southernmost glacier of the Ice Age era and a powerful rose quartz field on its western slope. It is a place where eagles circle, skies shimmer and dreams and visions occur.

Strings of Wisdom (1998): Written immediately after a Peter Rowan concert in Tampa, FL.

Tip of the Haight (2000): In honor of Jefferson Airplane founder and friend Marty Balin, whose music, lyrics and sublime tenor voice sparked the San Francisco renaissance known as psychedelic rock.

Your Song Never Ceases (1990): A moment of soulful reflection at Salmon Creek Falls, an old writing haunt at the southern end of Big Sur, CA.



My Four Corners (2003): A tribute to four men who have given me countless hours of counsel, advice, and good times: Bill Missett, Gerald St. Clair, Doug Travers, and Bill Mawhinney.

Incan Word for God (1999): When Juan-Carlos Machichado of the ancient Incan capital of Cuzco broke down this word for me while we walked through Machu Picchu, I stopped in my tracks. It’s the cosmology of all North American indigenous people, condensed into 58 letters. And the European conquerors thought the Incans were godless savages…makes you wonder.

After the Storm (1996): Few things in life are rougher than the days and weeks following the end of a long-term relationship. Written on a boat near Key West, FL.

Healing Woman’s Sutra (1991): A moment when ocean and woman conspired at a time when the latter faced a choice: change life direction or perish. Pfeiffer State Beach, Big Sur, CA.

Just A Conflict (1987): As an eight-year-old, I spent countless nights watching the Huntley-Brinkley Report on NBC News, and looking for Vietnam War footage. Was my Dad still alive? War is impossibly rough on the young children of soldiers.

Phases of Dad (1996-99): The life and transformation of the man whose legacy and blood I carry.

Fallow Heart (2001): Emptiness can be good when the senses of feeling and observation are running high. High Mesa, NM.

Rooting Up The Past…Planting Presence (1991): I wrote this two-poem suite, immediately after digging up my hillside Central California garden for the last time.

Sow, It Would Seem (2000): Written two hours after a New Year’s Eve kirtan and subsequent party to welcome the new millennium. Tampa, FL.

Anthem of the Homeless (1986): After spending time feeding and talking to homeless citizens during the Reagan Era, I wrote this attention-grabber. Amazing how little things have changed in the past two decades. San Diego, CA.

A Dying Artist Looks Into The Mirror (2006): Parts of us are dying and being reborn every day. Tomales, CA.

End of Days (1999): For six weeks, I thought I was going to be a father again. Then we lost the baby in a frightful turn of events, in the midst of some truly medieval images. Bolzano, Italy.

Glimpses from the Fields of Love (1998): For some reason, my herb garden in Tampa, FL reminded me of the various growths and stages of love. Thoughts, heart memories and poems sometimes make very strange bedfellows.

Winterlude (2000): What a great moment of true marital bliss, observed in Munich, Germany during an otherwise cold, snowy, sunny Sunday.

Crystal-Eyed Child (1993): My daughter, Jessica, was so precocious and fearless as a child. When she was ready to explore or embark on an adventure, her eyes shone like crystals. When I saw another girl’s eyes do the same thing, I wrote this. Ananda Village, CA.

Consider Lightning (1999): Sometimes, life strikes so fast that you just take stock of what hit you and find out what you learned. This poem continues (sort of) in Harvey Stanbrough’s fine new collection of poems, Beyond the Masks (www.centralavenuepress.com).

Romancing a Druid (1991): To recognize the deeper essence of souls to whom we feel close is to experience one of life’s deepest pleasures. St. Louis, MO.

Between the Lines (1992): Reading poetry to a loved one stacks right up there with delectable human experiences.

Surfer Tides (1987): The parallels between surfing waves and proceeding through life are countless – and boundless in their possibilities. North Shore, Oahu, HI



Cat Nap (2004): Plunging into a cat nap after making beautiful love creates a warmth and depth of its own. New York, NY

Blood Moon (1995): When shaky relationship and world crash together in a rocky succession of events, doesn’t everything seem to conspire against us – even the elements?

Violin Voice (1998): Written after a concert by The Charms, a fine Irish folk rock band. Tampa, FL

Many Layers of a Hurt (1999): Hearts, environments and dreams never deserve to be hurt, but in this world of humanity, those are the three things most plundered. Tampa, FL

A Dull Marriage Ignites (2003): A flash-fiction story, completely of the imagination.

Enchantment (2000): Ever been locked in an 11th-century castle at midnight? What a weird experience as the 21st century dawned. Salzburg, Austria.

Harmony Rising (2005): I saw her from the corner of my eye at the Harmony Festival in Santa Rosa, CA. Her pain was palpable; so was her desire to be free. The minstrel was the legendary Jon Anderson of Yes.

Its Name Was Peace (1992): Even when you can’t have children, you can always give birth to something great. Evansville, IN

Companion (2003): The dance of silver moonlight on my lover’s body involves the delicate footsteps of a love ballad scored to universal time. New York, NY

Drops of Divinity (2003): Two events conspired in the Sonoran Desert on March 29, 2003: A new love was rising in my life, and two of my best friends were getting married. I read this poem at the wedding of Barbara Stahura and Ken Willingham. Tucson, AZ

Cosmic Lullaby (2004): An ode to the precious innocence we experience and witness in those we love the most. New York, NY

Sample poems from Shades of Green
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