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 Dervish's Dream
I wrote this with a very brave young man in my mind and heart. A dervish had walked many miles one day and sat down at dusk to rest. He...
hcdjfb
Oct 25, 20232 min read
Adventures in Either-Or Land
In Either-Or-Land, nothing is ever really as it seems, Because it is all concrete (but it really isn't.) It looks black or white, but it...
hcdjfb
Oct 23, 20232 min read
Bloodstream: A love story.
Bloodstream I went to the doctor. They had taken vials of my blood, run tests on them and said, “You are healthy. We read your blood, and...
hcdjfb
Oct 19, 20232 min read
Blinded in Gaza
Shalom. Salaam. Did you think that I was going to say something pro-Israeli or anti-Israeli? Did you think that was going to say...
hcdjfb
Oct 17, 20231 min read
A Hole in the Soul
Cruelty is a cry of one who has a hole in the soul. That hole must be fed by the pain of another. The hole in the soul demands and takes...
hcdjfb
Oct 14, 20231 min read
Filling the Battery
This was inspired by a conversation with a wonderful friend of mine If we think of our emotions, our hearts, our very beings as running...
hcdjfb
Sep 19, 20231 min read
Persist. You are writing a life. Today's not the story, but merely an episode.
If you ever feel discouraged, persist. Press on. You are daily writing a life. Today may have been comedy, farce, tragedy, romance,...
hcdjfb
Aug 11, 20231 min read
Friendship Trees
Friendships are like trees. They start as little seedlings that could die in heat or frost—or continue to grow. Then they could grow...
hcdjfb
Aug 4, 20231 min read
My Face is My Autobiography
This poem is both dedicated to, and the result of, my friendship with my favorite Swabian, Dr. Ralph Wirth, who sent me the German...
hcdjfb
Aug 1, 20231 min read
Anger is the Dragon Who Lives Under My Bed
Anger is the dragon who lives under my bed. Anger is a response, a feeling that reacts to a stimulus. Everyone feels angry at times, But...
hcdjfb
Jul 24, 20231 min read
Authenticity
Authenticity is--a paradox. Authenticity is-- To be rather than to merely seem; To do rather than to only appear to do; To wear a...
hcdjfb
Jul 19, 20231 min read
The Cicada's Song and Mine.
The cicada is a bit mysterious Before it becomes ubiquitous. It hides underground for decades, Then becomes the background music for the...
hcdjfb
Jul 10, 20231 min read
The Giver and the Gift Refused.
What does it mean when one opens the hand to others, But the other does not accept? What happens when one opens the heart to others, And...
hcdjfb
Jun 27, 20231 min read
The Paradox of the Self.
What is my “self?” Who is my self?” It is something more than myself, this:”self.” I would like to think that my “self” is that part of...
hcdjfb
Jun 19, 20231 min read
The Five Virtues
Master Konzi (Confucius) taught the Five Confucian virtues, which are )in order of importance: 1. kindness ren (仁), 2. righteousness (as...
hcdjfb
Jun 16, 20231 min read
Chronos and Kairos: Time and the right time.
Put your watch and cell phone out of view for a little while. (We dare not say “for a few minutes,” as that will defeat the point.) Greek...
hcdjfb
Jun 9, 20231 min read
Soul of Oak
There is a venerable oak tree in my yard Older than old. As it grows, it becomes more substantial with each passing year. As it grows...
hcdjfb
Jun 6, 20231 min read
A Cure for Emptiness
Sometimes emptiness just creeps up. When I feel empty, But if I honestly look inside, what do I see? I think of those I love and those...
hcdjfb
Jun 5, 20231 min read
bottom of page