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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
Walking Together
You have heard that if the blind leads the blind, Both can fall into a pit. But what if the deaf and the blind walk together, One doing...
hcdjfb
Apr 20, 20241 min read
Memories 2.0
There is what happened, what we remember, and what we later reminisce, And they are not the same thing. Our memories persist, but they...
hcdjfb
Apr 16, 20241 min read
JF's Podcast Interview with Israel and Rosana at BiblioTech
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Ws6kArvgejWad1uwuRKOe?si=43b46fdc68b84467&nd=1&dlsi=ee0d9b03db46497d
hcdjfb
Apr 15, 20241 min read
The Solar Eclipse and Our Personal Eclipses.
Robert Bly wrote a poem about an eclipse in Maine. We just had one in here in Texas and, fresh in my mind, It is too good not to mine for...
hcdjfb
Apr 9, 20241 min read
Regret Is Theft
I was tempted very strongly to wallow in regret, To dwell on my past stupidities and bad choices, I may be sorry for my sins, but I don’t...
hcdjfb
Mar 30, 20241 min read
What is the weight of a poem?
What is the weight of a poem? What color is it? It can’t fix your car. Poetry is a waste of time For those who cannot hear it. The ears...
hcdjfb
Mar 25, 20241 min read
The Holiness of Quietude: You have the right to remain silent.
You have the right to remain silent You have the rite to remain silent. The Holiness of Quietude There is too much noise. Too many voices...
hcdjfb
Mar 24, 20242 min read
Root and Branch
There was an unusually cold killing frost this winter. Not typical in my subtropical home. To the casual eye, the trees look entirely...
hcdjfb
Mar 19, 20241 min read
The War Show
Watch the war show. Imagine yourself sitting on a rock, above other rocks, And watching two little lizards fight to the death over a bug...
hcdjfb
Mar 6, 20241 min read
The Catalyst for Courage
Courage is defined by converting fear into action. The catalyst for this conversion is introspection— Finding the heart, that steel in...
hcdjfb
Feb 27, 20241 min read
The Human Cabochon
A cabochon is a gemstone that has been cleaned, polished, but not faceted, To be set in a ring or pendant, ideally in its most beautiful...
hcdjfb
Feb 16, 20241 min read
Taking Leave of Friends, They Remain
Seeing friends after an absence, You realize that closeness is not about geography or time, That the spaces between us are only...
hcdjfb
Feb 13, 20241 min read
What is frozen thaws.
What is frozen thaws. We had a freeze, a frost that killed anything that wasn’t covered. Trees lost their leaves; the garden perennials...
hcdjfb
Jan 18, 20241 min read
I am a river stone.
I hold a beautiful river stone in my hand. This one is almost translucent. The stone is so rounded and smooth, Polished by perhaps...
hcdjfb
Jan 15, 20241 min read
The Mysteries of Aging
It is good to be old In my twenties, I had wonderful, but rather stupid adventures. In my thirties, I went searching for the manual on...
hcdjfb
Jan 12, 20241 min read
Introspection
Look into yourself Picture a shelf of very fine wood, Properly stained and varnished. The wood is expensive and beautiful\ And you can...
hcdjfb
Jan 5, 20241 min read
Compassion
Your tears fall from your eyes, And into my heart, To nourish what can be best and noblest in it. Then I can dry your tears, And help you...
hcdjfb
Dec 11, 20231 min read
Finding Treasure (Beyoğlu. Istanbul 2023)
When I close my eyes, I think of the happy moments when I was a boy, Finding treasures. It may have been finding a fossil in a cool,...
hcdjfb
Dec 8, 20231 min read
Love is a Paradox
Love is not at all transactional. The more your give.the more you receive. You fill your heart by emptying yourself to another, Which...
hcdjfb
Dec 4, 20231 min read
Degrees of Friendship
There are degrees of friendship. Throughout our lives People walk across the stage and play a role, Then walk away. Some walk across the...
hcdjfb
Dec 1, 20231 min read
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