Some of my earlier work is rather dark. It is a reflection of my battle with bipolar disorder, a battle which has taken me to some not-so-nice places. I'm pleased to say I am winning the fight at this point.
A fair portion of my earlier poetry is based in one of three topics or themes, which appear over and again: sleep, time, and water. This is partly and unintentionally due to my fascination with all three things. It seems that when I don't quite know what to write about, I write about writing and the muse.
My later work takes on a wide variety of topics. Some of my poems are humorous and show a little bit of my lighter side.
Most of all, I see the body of my work as a sort of diary of my thoughts and observations, a way for others to get a glimpse of what goes on inside my head, and a piece of me to leave behind.
My favorite poets are Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickinson, Anne Sexton, Yusef Komunyakaa, Tedd Kooser, Billy Collins and Beat poets Charles Bukowski and Jack Kerouac. My favorite fiction writers are Jack Kerouac, John Fante, and Kurt Vonnegut. A new favorites are Mitch Albom and Portland, Oregon poet Dylan Mitchell.
The poems that appear on this site have all been published in one place or another. I will add others from my portfolio as they are published.