It’s an invitation to look at the weight we carry with different eyes—to see our struggles not as proof that we’re failing, but as the raw material for something deeper, stronger, and more meaningful. I brought in a line from Epictetus that has been sitting with me lately, and we explore what it means to transform our suffering instead of being crushed by it.

And as a way of saying thank you, I wrote this haiku in calligraphy, framed it, and I’m giving it away.

Giveaway details:
Email me at poetdelayed@gmail.com with “healing alchemy” in the subject line.
I’ll put every entry into a drawing and choose a winner at random.

Thanks for joining me.

“may I be I is the only prayer—”
— e. e. cummings

I'd love to hear what you have to say about the episode including thoughts on the poetry and the topics that were discussed. You can email me at poetdelayed@gmail.com.

My books of poetry are availabe for purchase at

Amazon.com

["The Ghost of a Beating Heart", "My Mother Sleeps" and "Haiku Village"]()

I was joined this episode by Chris and Elise Jones and Ali Talbot. We gathered in the warm, book-lined library at Chris and Elise Jones’ home and just talked.

We read Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem Go to the Limits of Your Longing, and from there we let the conversation unfold naturally. We talked about suffering — not in a heavy, hopeless way, but in the way you talk when you know that pain and beauty are woven into the same thread. We explored what it means to surrender to life’s difficulties instead of resisting them. We laughed about childhood memories, tofu meatloaf, and the glory of Saturday morning cartoons. We got real about trauma, caretaking, creating from heartbreak, and what it means to show up for each other when life breaks us open.

This episode is about sitting with what’s hard, about finding connection through vulnerability, and about how creativity — whether it’s poetry, baking, music, or just making something out of pain — can save us in quiet, powerful ways.

It’s also about joy. Tangents. Belly laughs. Tears. Root beer ice cream sandwiches.

Give it a listen. It’s not polished, but it’s real. And sometimes that’s exactly what we need most.

I'd love to hear what you have to say about the episode including thoughts on the poetry and the topics that were discussed. You can email me at poetdelayed@gmail.com.

My books of poetry, My Mother Sleeps, The Ghost of a Beating Heart and Haiku Village are availabe for purchase at

Amazon.com

Special Guests: Ali Talbot, Christian Jones, and Elise Jones.

Descension

Something is shifting.
It has felt heavy and loud
in my soul for a while.
It twists in my stomach
And lurches upward
Squeezing my heart
Tighter and tighter until
I can’t breathe
Then it weaves its slimy black sludge claws
Into my mind
And plants seeds of doubt, fear, hopelessness
Until they bloom
Oozing the thick tar of my descension
What does it mean?
Where does it come from?
I thought I was through
I thought I was in the clear
Didn’t I already learn this lesson?
And I notice the giant black infection
Of fear
expanding, enveloping me
In its unrelenting grip
What am I afraid of?
Fear, what are you trying to show me?
I move toward it now
I embrace it back
Shining every shred of light I have left
Toward it
Begging it to tell me what it wants
And I see
Tiny pricks of light
Piercing through the thick, black darkness
I left my light, my energy, my joy, behind
Somewhere on the trail
Like a lost glove
Being blown away by the wind
Left to dance its way through the wilderness
Is it even still mine?
Did someone find it?
Did they pick up
And turn it over, curious who it belonged to
Did they take it home and try it on?
Did something about my essence affect them in some way?
I miss it
Why do I keep doing that?
Giving away my light?
When all I’m trying to do
Is shine on those I love
On those who need a light in their own darkness
Because I know how deeply painful and dark it is
To wander this world in the dark
Alone
Maybe I overwhelm and blind with my light because I feel so desperate to connect
Yet somehow, my light is too bright, too glaring, too intense
Even for those who, at first, thought they liked basking in the glory
And I remember that even the Sun, who shines unapologetically, gets too hot sometimes
And may unintentionally burn you
But she keeps on shining
And we love her for it
And we welcome the clouds and the rain and night and the winter
And when they come, we miss the Sun
And long for her return
For the pink spring sunrise
For the glowing summer sunsets
And bright autumn mornings
I wonder if the Sun misses me too when the night comes
I wonder if she feels lonely and scared too
Maybe she sees me
As much as I see her

I'd love to hear what you have to say about the episode including thoughts on the poetry and the topics that were discussed. You can email me at poetdelayed@gmail.com.

My books of poetry, My Mother Sleeps and The Ghost of a Beating Heart are availabe for purchase at

Amazon.com

Special Guest: Sherrie Love.

I'd love to hear what you have to say about the episode including thoughts on the poetry and the topics that were discussed. You can email me at poetdelayed@gmail.com.

My first book of poetry, My Mother Sleeps, is availabe for purchase at

Amazon.com

We also introduce Torchlight, a new monthly program we’ve launched to bring people together through art, music, and poetry. Each month, we invite local artists, musicians, and writers to share their work, with occasional open mic nights to encourage participation from the community. It’s all about connection, creativity, and creating space for shared expression.

Tune in for a conversation about why what we make matters—and how it can light the way for others.

I'd love to hear what you have to say about the episode including thoughts on the poetry and the topics that were discussed. You can email me at poetdelayed@gmail.com.

My first book of poetry, My Mother Sleeps, is availabe for purchase at

The King's English Bookshop

and

Amazon.com

Special Guest: Ali Talbot.

I’ll speak of Injustice:

She had the strength to harm him.
To strike the blow, to score the wound
But not to bind it up.

She cannot heal him.
She has no salve strong enough.

I was joined by my friend, Melissa Fairbourn Peterson. We talked about the wounds we all suffer from one another whether intentionally or not and that those who inflict those wounds cannot heal us - only we can heal our wounds.
We discussed the importance of apologies in the healing process. The dangers in demanding an apology. How recognizing our complicity in our wounds helps us heal, and so much more.

We read from Les Miserables and from The Gulag Archipelago.

I'd love to hear what you have to say about the episode including thoughts on the poetry and the topics that were discussed. You can email me at poetdelayed@gmail.com.

My first book of poetry, My Mother Sleeps, is availabe for purchase at

The King's English Bookshop

and

Amazon.com

Special Guest: Melissa Peterson.

I'd love to hear what you have to say about the episode including thoughts on the poetry and the topics that were discussed. You can email me at poetdelayed@gmail.com.

My first book of poetry, My Mother Sleeps, is availabe for purchase at

The King's English Bookshop

and

Amazon.com

Special Guest: Angie Monson.

For this part,
Darling,
You must be brave.

by Kalen Dion

I'd love to hear what you have to say about the episode including thoughts on the poetry and the topics that were discussed. You can email me at poetdelayed@gmail.com.

My first book of poetry, My Mother Sleeps, is availabe for purchase at

The King's English Bookshop

and

Amazon.com