Overwhelmed and grateful…

I am feeling stunned and overwhelmed today by having been nominated for several honors recently — a Best of the Net nomination from Synchronized Chaos (US journal, editor Cristina Deptula), a Pushcart nomination from The Lake (UK journal, editor John Murphy), and a Pushcart nomination from Expound (Nigerian journal, editors Wale Owoade, Saddiq M Dzukogi et al). Thank you, all of you who stop my and read and comment, for all of your encouragement. Truly grateful.

RHP 91, two recently published poems, and more…

I’m delighted to have new work up at Visual Verse (“Personal Space”) and at Via Negativa (“Day Seven: Anticipation”). (D! when you wander through this neighborhood again, don’t miss “Day Seven: Anticipation” — I thought of you when writing it, and hoped you’d laugh.)

I’m also thrilled that Right Hand Pointing Issue 91 is out of our hands and into yours — march on! And below is a new piece of work…

no answer

(after Saddiq M Dzukogi‘s “the wicked song”)

I dip the pen, I write again of violence
and hostile actions carried out against
places of worship and of education by
those of ideologies so narrow that most
of us measure up as soft-hearted heretics

and now more threats and the resulting
fear…and as I write you lean discretely
over my shoulder, you read but do not
interrupt until I’ve stopped and then you
ask: which of your countries is this?

are you writing again of boko haram, baga,
chibok, yola, mongono, jos, maiduguri?
or is this for your other country, roseburg,
charleston, chapel hill, others, and now
fear in universities near phili? which one

of your countries?
and I have no further
words, no answer: both ring with bullets
both sing this same song of wickedness