The Sky Over My Mother’s House It is a July night scented with gardenias. The moon and stars shine hiding … More
Tag: Life Lessons
Be kind
Be Kind Not merely because Henry James saidthere were but four rules of life—be kind be kind be kind be … More
You’ve got to write it all down
The unexamined life’s no different from … More
The Thing Is
The Thing Is to love life, to love it evenwhen you have no stomach for itand everything you’ve held dearcrumbles … More
When I am Asked
When I am Asked When I am asked how I began writing poems, I talk about the indifference of nature. … More
God’s Grief
God’s Grief Great parentwho must have started outwith such high hopes.What magnitude of suffering,the immensity of guilt,the staggering despair.A mind … More
Open letter to Arthur Frank (on reading At the Will of the Body)
Dear Arthur Frank I’m writing to say thank you for your extraordinary book At the Will of the Body. It is … More
Lifesaving Poems: Sean O’Brien’s ‘Before’
To safe and almost universal silence I published How Far From Here is Home? (Stride) a few days before Christmas in … More
Tired, but
I am tired. Though I write from a place of privilege and of safety, I am tired. Tired of feeling … More
