Category Archives: About Top Pun

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POEM: A Queer World

This poem is about the queer reality that if there were not homophobia, I would not have been born, as my Dad is gay. Only the rejection of his sexual orientation and the societal “need” to enter a “heterosexual” marriage … Continue reading

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POEM: Holy Enough

This a poem about not being perfect but being perfectly enough. Holy Enough It is hard to brake illusions Yet I smashed this one with ease The illusion of me being holy Evident to awe around me And especially sow … Continue reading

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POEM: Take a Collective Breath

This poem is a rare combination of my life as a poet and a public health worker. This poem juxtaposes the personal option of some to choose organic food but the collective difficulty of choosing clean air. Some times we … Continue reading

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POEM: It’s Time

This short poem is a particular melding of my love of poetry and work for social justice. It’s Time There is a time for awe things And awe things knot There is a time for writing poetry And for righting … Continue reading

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POEM: True Story

Perhaps the best Dad joke ever told. True Story Won time In Bible study We were discussing the whether A human can see the face of God And live The reverend said know Buuuuttt Being made In His image According … Continue reading

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POEM: As Opposed to De-liver

This poem goes out to all the women who made this world a better place. As a man in a man’s world, I can only say, I would be nothing without you. As Opposed to De-liver Thank you feminists For … Continue reading

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POEM: Semi-Quiet Neighborhood — Ode to I-75

I often wake up to the sound of traffic on I-75 about a half mile from my house. I yearn for quiet in my life. I mourn the impossibility of true quiet in the city. I also no that addiction … Continue reading

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POEM: Judgment Call

I recently heard someone describe the Buddhist concept of enlightenment as “lightening up.” I have long been a fan of the Buddhist practice of “nonseriousness.” This has helped me in my perpetual vacillation between being the most serious person in … Continue reading

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As ma Taut Me: Owed to Presence Scent

This Fall I strolled down to the Toledo Museum of Art with pen and composition book anticipating that I would find some inspiration for a poem. How true this turned out to be! As inspiration goes, it is often not … Continue reading

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POEM: The Dumbest Thing I Ever Metaphor

This poem is a tribute to the dumbfounding reality that speaking about God is extremely dangerous, almost as dangerous as not speaking about God. I am perpetually drawn to contemplating ultimate concerns, which naturally outline one’s respective, or irrespective, views … Continue reading

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POEM: Unentitled Number Two

This poem peered early this morning. The muse strikes again! This poem is a poet’s poem, and a tip of the hat to one of my favorite poets, Rumi. Who is that says you can’t feel the sublime standing in … Continue reading

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POEM: Believe Ability

As you may know, I am a convicted felon, for refusing to register for the military draft, way back in the 1980’s when draft registration was reinstituted. I found such a mandate offensive to my conscience and world peace. I … Continue reading

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POEM: A Thousand Poems A Go

This poem is another tip of the hat to the mystical muse that passes down poetry from on high. Poems often strike in the middle of the night or early morn. The hours are odd, but they are integral to … Continue reading

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POEM: Draft Registration Civil Disobedience, aka, Holy Obedience

This poem is a poetic excerpt of my David and Goliath battle with the world’s most powerful superpower. Actually, Daniel in the lions’ den is more on mark. My refusal to register for the military draft back in the 1980’s … Continue reading

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POEM: Lilliputian Vampires — Ode to Bed Bugs

Earlier this summer, at an air bnb, we were hit by a bed bug infestation. Bed bug bites are characterized by three bites in a row, and I had a couple dozen bites strewn over my body. Some bites were … Continue reading

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POEM: Locked in Prism

This poem is inspired by one of the things I learned in prison: that everybody there is innocent. Of course, by this I mean that everybody claims to be innocent. I learned that this phenomenon is rooted in the notion … Continue reading

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POEM: Here on Abet

A mythic narrative that describes the arc of my life fairly well is the idea that I am here on a bet. More specifically, the bet was that, as in a previous life, I was a peasant scolding those living … Continue reading

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POEM: Did I Hear You Write?

This funny short poem takes particular advantage of how my punny writing is used to meditate on righting the whirled. My poems typically read silently differently than how they seem read out loud. This is a good example of my … Continue reading

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POEM: To Know a Veil

This poem is about desiring God, and for the spirit to fully incarnate in flesh. I have long thought that the best metaphors for understanding God is through parenthood, the unconditional love for a child, and through being lovers, desiring … Continue reading

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POEM: Like Night and Day

I am both a known provocateur, which can be a little challenging to others around me, and an insatiably curious observer and commenter on life, meaning no harm what sow ever. This poem plays with the inevitable misunderstandings that arise … Continue reading

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