top of page
Please take the time to read and enjoy my poetry! It is my ongoing project and I am looking forward to translating my poems into Turkish, Portuguese, and French. JFB
The Best Clean Joke I Heard This Week.
This man was at the lunch after his friend's funeral and people were offering tributes. He turned to the widow and said, "Do you mind if...
JF Bierlein
Jan 7, 20231 min read
The Clover of Memory
Dried Clover I found a book in the used bookstore that intrigued me It was a little history book that was printed in 1890. It had that...
JF Bierlein
Jan 7, 20231 min read
To Comfort the Bereaved
How do you comfort a friend? You can listen, but what more can you do? It is unfair to them to say, “I understand.” Even if you went...
JF Bierlein
Jan 6, 20231 min read
Yaşamaya Dair/About Living by Nazim Hikmet
This wonderful poem was sent to me by my very good friend Seda Sürel from Istanbul. It is a poem by the Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet and...
JF Bierlein
Jan 6, 20234 min read
Beautify your day
Just pause a minute, maybe even close your eyes and enjoy this: it is a serene and beautiful piece of music, Mussorgsky's "Dawn on the...
hcdjfb
Jan 6, 20231 min read
A very happy landmark
No poem, but some really happy news. I did my annual checkup and I am now nice and healthy 10 years after my cancer. I like to say that...
JF Bierlein
Jan 6, 20231 min read
Drinking at the Spring
When I was a boy, I remember how a spring Gushed cool, clear water out of a rock There was a red stain on the rocks where the water came...
JF Bierlein
Jan 5, 20231 min read
Planting Trees
I am planning to plant even more fruit trees. “Why,” you may well ask, “is an old man planting trees?” The unspoken is, “Hey, the trees...
JF Bierlein
Jan 4, 20231 min read
New Year
Threw out one calendar Hung up a new one. Put a sticky note on my desk To remind me to date things with the new year. I forgive everyone...
JF Bierlein
Jan 3, 20231 min read
The Lesson of the Orchids
My wife has brought home several beautiful orchids When in bloom, they bring magic to the house. But the blooms are gone now And I am...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Wisdom Vine
I planted grapevines some 20 years ago Many were killed by frosty weather or drought, But others survived, including Uncle Henry A great...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Cruelty
Cruelty is the compulsion of the wounded to wound, The harmed to harm The abused to abuse The exploited to exploit The sad to sadden...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Armchair Theology
I believe, but then again... Faith has a shadow that is not doubt. Doubt and faith are sides of the same mirror. They both feed each...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
No Longer Half Baked
Forty or more years ago, I was just flour A pile of charming, inert wheat dust. Then I came into contact with the leaven of this world-...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Wheelchair Diaries
Che Guevara had his “Motorcycle Diaries,” Which gave him a radically new view of the world. That was my experience in a wheelchair. Ten...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
What is Left Behind
For whatever reason, I felt very mortal this morning I realized that I have outlived my mother And perhaps that was it. Then again, more...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
UVALDE
The right to bear arms shall not be infringed The right to bear children shall not be infringed The right to life shall not be infringed...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
The Rite to Remain Silent
You have the right to remain silent. The right. The right to be silent and hear your heartbeat The right to be silent and hear yourself...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Grace
Grace is when a toddler offers you a “flower” That is really a dandelion But suddenly you both see it the same way. Grace is when you see...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Does the Security Guard Guard Security?
We have a sophisticated electronic security system at home To make sure that our house is secure. There apparently was some level of...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
bottom of page