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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
Son of a gun
We have sons who like guns. They defend their particular reading of the Second Amendment With the gifted sophistry of a Jesuit on...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20232 min read
Old Friends
I had the pleasure of a visit from old friends. I can call them that because I am old And now they are too. We all knew each other when...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Baltimorese Love Song
Danny ayshin on da cayste Lived da girl I loved da mayste It warn’t just kissin’ and huggin’ and grabbin’ We spint maste of our time...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Love Magic
If I could make magic I would make your best dream come true And hand it to you in a basket made of stars. I would ask you for your other...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Kintsugi
Kintsugi is the Japanese practice of repairing broken pottery with gold So that the imperfections add beauty and value What was broken is...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Patina
How is it that a memory starts as a snapshot And blurs into an impressionist image? How is it that its sharp lines soften? How is it that...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Perennial
I. Live Oak The live oak in my yard was there before my parents existed Before my grandparents existed And I sit in its shade. When I am...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Civil Discourse on the Concourse
Rancor is when shout is met with shout Judgment clashes with judgment Law clashes with gospel Justice clashes with mercy...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Colonies
A friend pointed out that people don’t mind using the word “colonies,” But become uncomfortable with the words “Colonialism” or Even...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Tree Temple
A church has a steeple reaching to heaven A mosque has a minaret The Hindu mandir towers seem to touch the clouds But a tree is a great...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Swimming in Time.
Time is for us what water is to fish We swim in it Our whole lives are spent in it It wouldn’t occur to a fish to resent water So, we...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Lost, Given, and Gift
You Cannot lose what you never really have. My children, learn this well Unrequited love One-sided friendships Unrealistic expectations...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
God’s Whisper
Arkadaşım Seda için/For my friend Seda The voice of nature is God’s whisper Only stop to listen The buzzing of bees The songs of birds...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Love Story
A lady spied a cedar waxwing fly into a window And die. She said that its mate came and placed its head next to hers, Closed his eyes,...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Tővbe/Teshuvah/Al Tawba/Repentance
Repentance. Is a turning away Taking a different path forward. But let’s apply it to our journey. It is not self-condemnation Or...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
loyalty is not
Falling in love Blind Adulation A transaction A pious demonstration Servitude Guilty obligation Nor just a habit of proximity. Loyalty is...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Nationalism
A German President said that patriotism Is Loving your Country; Nationalism is loving your country And hating everyone else’s. I am a...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Morning Calm
There are birds singing and only a little rustling in the trees The earth is still warm from yesterday’s sun The air smells like moist...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
Gratitude for the Ungrateful
There was a time when I would seethe Over those whom I had helped Or given something of value—including my time Only for them to lack...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
The Riot Quelled—January 6
I cannot hear your words While your anger alone is speaking While your voice drips bitterness And An Inadequacy of speech. I can hear But...
JF Bierlein
Jan 2, 20231 min read
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