Hoosier Poet: 2026

Wednesday, April 29, 2026

The Abyss

The Abyss

Ideas, morphed to words,
ripped from my soul and published
to silent masses.

Mining

Mining

Open my eyes, flick on the light,
write down the dreams I had that night,
hopefully to find
or perhaps to mine
some message divine.
One of hope, no matter how slight.

Good Morning! (Or evening if you stumble across this page then...)

This is my attempt at the Clogyrnach style poem. It is a six lined Welsh poetic style that structured as follows:

8 syllables with an A rhyme
8 syllables with an A rhyme.
5 syllables with an B rhyme.
5 syllables with an B rhyme.
5 syllables with an B rhyme.
8 syllables with an A rhyme

That being said, how do you think I did?

Tuesday, April 28, 2026

Hobbled

Hobbled

Trying to get home,
stuck with a monitored car,
unable to speed.

Monday, April 27, 2026

Empty, and stripped bare.
Momma, Papa, eggs
all gone…
save two…
shattered in the remnants
of straw, string, and feathers
that once promised a happy nest,
a happy future…
the site of 5 little goslings
lined up in a row
as momma and papa lead them on,
to the delight of those watching.
A row that will never exist,
delight that will never manifest,
all seized in the night,
dashed upon the pavement.

Morning Prayers

Morning Prayers

Before Iron Rites,
candles lit, wine poured, praising
Gods and Ancestors.

Sunday, April 26, 2026

Forecast

Forecast

Armchair weathermen

painting the apocalypse

for the coming storms.

Saturday, April 25, 2026

Where is Iustitia?

Where is Iustitia?

No justice, no peace.
Every last politician
has blood on their hands.

Friday, April 24, 2026

Fragments

Fragments

A hometown visit,
cleaning, talking to the dead,
others...and myself...

Thursday, April 23, 2026

Wistful

Wistful

Soft alabaster,

Sparkling browns, a fast bright beam,
Time too far removed...

Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Stolen

Stolen

"Every man a King!"
A dream we could have captured...
lost to a bullet.

Tuesday, April 21, 2026

A Father's Burden

A Father's Burden

No man wants to work
When he could be with his kids.
Precious stolen time…

Monday, April 20, 2026

Keeping Watch 2

Keeping Watch 2

Corvin leaned against the charred porch post that once had his name carved into it, and looked out over the smoldering ruin that had been his cabin.

That had been his home.

They had broke camp and rode through the night towards the flickering orange glow, hoping it wasn’t the cabin.

The only thing left standing was the brick chimney. Once red, now blackened by the fire that had consumed everything else that he loved.

And maybe everyone that he loved.

“They may have gotten out, Corv.”

He turned and looked at his father, still sitting on his horse. His voice was gentle and reassuring, but Corvin noticed the old man’s eyes kept darting from tree to tree, and he never took his hand off his gun.

Corvin didn’t say anything but walked to where his door used to stand. Brigit had begged him to use an unbroken piece of oak and then had him carve the intricate image on the front of it. Loops, and circles that went on and on in one continuous line, with a bulky and odd looking cross in the middle of it all with a shamrock in the middle of it.

He had never been terribly religious, and it wasn’t a traditional cross, but Brigit had been insistent and said it was named for the saint who she was named after.

So he sweated from the labor, and the fear of messing up the carving under her watchful eye. Between her drawn lines, and his steady hand, he was able to get it done to her satisfaction. He then at her insistence nailed horse shoes over it.

And now it was gone.

The horse shoes blackened and scattered in the mess all that remained of the doorway. He stepped through the openness where the door had once stood, his boots crunching on the still smoldering wood. His eyes scanned the floor, around the fireplace, and in the kitchen. Twisted items that he could identify, some he could not, but none of them were Brigit or the kids.

“You seeing anything, Corv?” his old man hollered out.

“No,” Corvin replied after a long sigh. “I..I don’t think they were here.”

“We probably shouldn’t stay too long.”

“I ain’t going nowhere till I find ‘em.”

“That ain’t what I meant, son.”

His dad looked at him, and Corvin knew that he was right.

“Alright, I just…”

He paused, eye catching a glint in the charcoaled rubbish. He knelt down and carefully plucked it from the ash. It lay in his palm, surprisingly cold given the heat coming up from everything around it. He rubbed his thumb over the medallion modeled after the Brigit’s cross that held her initials. His old man had made the medallion, and Corvin had given it to Brigit the night that Tom was born. She had given it to Jessy when she turned five.

“What’s that?”

Corvin almost jumped at his father’s voice. He grit his teeth and slid it into his chest pocket as he stood up.

“Best get to your place and get some supplies, pop.”

He mounted and as they turned the horses to ride towards the old man’s cabin, he pulled his horse up short and stared up into the tree line where his cabin door, lay in the boughs of the oak tree.

The door looked as though it had been plucked from the cabin and positioned carefully in the tree, its iron hinges and handle shining in the morning sun.

“How in tarnation…?” His old man followed his gaze. “How ya reckon that got up there?”

“I don’t know,” Corvin said. “But I damn sure intend to find out.”

Auf Dich

Auf Dich

Today raise your drink
to that brave visionary
who tried to save us.

Sunday, April 19, 2026

Fear

Fear

They don't know it yet,
but they will tremble that day
when Western men wake.

Saturday, April 18, 2026

Busy

Busy

The washer is fixed,
The car is running again,
I move down the list.

Friday, April 17, 2026

Up

Midnight approaches;
little one refuses sleep,
So I lay awake...

The Draw

The Draw

I shuffle the deck,
four cards jump, I flip and read
to get a bearing.

Thursday, April 16, 2026

Endure

Endure

Today weighed heavy.
Grinding me down to a crawl,
But I shall crawl on...

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

The Shoal

The Shoal.

Black ink, swirls inside circles.
Words stripped bare
to the letters,
merged not to read, but to see,
shapes reshaped until pleasing…

Cut in perfect form, circle still binding,
Shoaled and stacked
With solemn focus,
Folden into yellow paper.
Red ink to form the link.

Formed in duplicate,
rite repeated.
New set destroyed
as some folks call for.
Documented, as others insist.

Now to forget,
the hardest part…
until such a time remembering
is prompted with delight.

Thoughts

Thoughts

The papers and books
Lay scattered across my desk,
Mirror of my thoughts...

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Highway Hypnosis

Highway Hypnosis

The hum of the road,
and gentle warmth of the sun
makes me need caffeine .

Monday, April 13, 2026

Interpreting

Interpreting

From out of nowhere:
horn, brakes screeching, cold steel, dark...
I wake with a start!

Sunday, April 12, 2026

Linking

Linking

With hope and focus

her symbol drawn in crimson,

uniting the worlds.

Saturday, April 11, 2026

Transparent

Transparent

They call for cease fire
Not for peace, but the time
To bomb someone else.

Friday, April 10, 2026

Dreaming

Dreaming

The Daemon whispers
when we go to sleep each night
trying to guide us.

Thursday, April 9, 2026

Starting Point

Starting Point

One measly pull-up,
with an assistance band, too!
A point to build from.

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Proper Sleep

Proper Sleep

I crashed out early,
and woke a bit easier...
A novel concept!

Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Field

Field

Unutilized land
used by the homeless to sleep,
but Field purges them.

Monday, April 6, 2026

Lodge

Lodge

Meet on the level,
act well on the plum, and then
part upon the square.

Sunday, April 5, 2026

Excitement

Excitement

The kids wake early
excited for the baskets
The bunny has left...

Saturday, April 4, 2026

Staying the Course

Staying the Course

A renewed effort,

yet no progress to the goal.

I keep on and pray.

Friday, April 3, 2026

Recharging

Recharging

Take the day off work,
Trying to soak up some sun,
And breathe the fresh air.

Thursday, April 2, 2026

Curveball

Curveball

A bolt in my wheel,
Throw my morning plans away,
Scramble to adapt.

Wednesday, April 1, 2026

Camera Shy

Camera Shy

Deep breath. Hit record.
I sound fake, and look like shit.
But I gotta try...

Tuesday, March 31, 2026

Be Wary

Be Wary

You must wake guarded.

Everything must be suspect.

April First draws nigh...

Once

Once

Once it was a dream
To write as a Journalist
For a newspaper.

Monday, March 30, 2026

Poisonous

Poisonous

A shameless people
Poison the society
that tolerates them.

Sunday, March 29, 2026

Sunday

Sunday

A beautiful day
for Wesselman Woods, hiking,
and family fun!

Saturday, March 28, 2026

Tipping

Tipping

Sanity is lost
Leaders blinded by shekels
We suffer their rule.

Friday, March 27, 2026

The Trolls

The Trolls

Trolls came out in force today
and assailed my comment section,
not to listen to what I had to say
just slurs, goyspeak, and projection.
First, to avoid hypocrisy,
I did not block them or their words,
their slurs, or derision of me.
Then it turned violent and absurd
and I could no more entertain
that horde in its depravity.
With no more ado or refrain
I blocked them from activity.
Thus depriving them of their play,
I gain respite, at least today…

Returned

Returned

I shake off the dust
from the last state from my shoes
as I arrive Home.

Thursday, March 26, 2026

Trolls

Trolls

Swarmed by Trolls today,
forced to block and delete them
due to slurs and threats.

Wednesday, March 25, 2026

Weeping Ghosts

Weeping Ghosts

Ghosts of the past
stand amidst modern designs,
weeping at "Progress".

Tuesday, March 24, 2026

Late Check-in

Late check-in

A late stroll at night,
Fresh space to smoke my cigar
And try to relax.

Monday, March 23, 2026

Second Place

Second Place

Walking with my son,
as stars and moon disappear...

we race against rain.

Sunday, March 22, 2026

One of those days

One of those days

Feeling off-kilter,
I want to move, but I don't
So I must force it...

Saturday, March 21, 2026

Disconnected

Disconnected

A day on the road,
Then a trek through the forest,
A whole world away...

Friday, March 20, 2026

Our Motto

Our Motto

Attacks from our foes,
Betrayals from our allies,
And yet: We Endure.

Thursday, March 19, 2026

Jubilee

Jubilee

We need a reset
to wipe out all of our debt
that keep us in chains.

Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Explanation

Explanation

They call it morning,
because dreamers often mourn
waking from their world.

Tuesday, March 17, 2026

Pinch Vaccine

Pinch Vaccine

A Shamrock necklace,
and a green marker's scribble
my daughters save me.

Monday, March 16, 2026

Relics

Relics

How soon until they are completely gone?
I sit and watch the old-timer thumb through
an outdoor magazine, a doe and fawn
barely seen through the cover’s yellowed hue.
It’s fellows, still waiting on the display,
to entertain or simply pass the time
of some poor soul on any given day,
but their purpose, like them, is past its prime.
For computers, tablets, and of course phones
Can distract a soul for eternity...
And so the rack is often left alone
another victim of modernity
Save for the random old-timer or two
while waiting, pick them up for quick review.

Author note:

I was struck with the thought of this poem while waiting at the Mechanic today. The newest magazine on the waiting rack was 2013. An old timer looked at one for a spell before he started watching the Tv, and I couldn't help but wonder how much longer businesses would supply the waiting room with magazines (or TV's for that matter) when everyone has a distraction device at the ready when they walk in anyhow.

Chest Day

Chest Day

Up before the sun,
Bench press, dumbbells, flies and dips
All increased by five!

Sunday, March 15, 2026

True Leader

True Leader

Giorgia Meloni
Working for her own people...
Trump could learn from her.

Saturday, March 14, 2026

Gypsy

Gypsy

Waiting for the fight,
Rooting for the Crusader!
Victoria bless...

Friday, March 13, 2026

Interpreting

Interpreting

I dreamt quite a tale,
and figure it is my mind
screaming to be more.

Thursday, March 12, 2026

The Lie

The Lie

Building back better
that's their line, but they only
lined their own pockets.

Wednesday, March 11, 2026

A Find!

A Find!

Twenty miles of rain,

a second hand camera

a gift for my girls.

Tuesday, March 10, 2026

Lodge

Lodge

Memories flood back:
Old faces, names, and events.
I've been gone too long.

Monday, March 9, 2026

A Fall to Applause.

A Fall to Applause

Iran's missiles keep on dropping
With no signs yet that they're stopping,
The Iranians won't relent
now the Iron Dome is failing.

With nothing offered for blocking,
Tel Aviv shaking and rocking,
The sirens have fallen silent,
yet there is plenty of wailing.

As Israel Starts to struggle,
from beneath the Gazan rubble
there is now heard the sound of cheers
with every explosion and burst.

For Israelis are now learning
the pain of their own homes burning,
the pain of loss, and unchecked tears,
as they receive their just desserts.

The West no longer united,
the masses, in fact delighted,
That Israel seems to falter,
and we could be free of their curse.

So they have increased their spending
to keep propagandists spinning,
to splay us upon their altar,
for a few more coins for their purse.

Politicians who have been bought,
blackmailed, or threatened...the whole lot...
panic as the narrative slips,
and the internet does its thing.

They can no longer take delight
in their evil, hidden from sight.
Control no longer in their grips;
their arrogance their undoing.

Vision

Vision

American Folk
Deserve a Jubilee Year
All debts forgiven.

Sunday, March 8, 2026

Outdated

Outdated

They sprung us forward,
Though I have no field to tend,
Sleepy, all for naught...

Saturday, March 7, 2026

Country Lullaby

Country Lullaby

Thunder rocks the house,
Wind and rain sing a duet
Against the tin roof.

Friday, March 6, 2026

Sleep Paralysis

Sleep Paralysis.

Wake. Frozen in place.
Can't move. Can't scream but shadows
dance around in glee.

Thursday, March 5, 2026

Worms on the Blacktop

Worms on the Blacktop

The rain drew them out
like lost souls looking for light
finding only pain.

Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Sorting

Sorting

I woke up feeling heavy,
mentally so, not fat, though I am…
Like I am under water, and the air presses against me,
squeezing,
tightening tighter and tighter…

It doesn’t help that the sun is gone,
behind the clouds,
if it is there at all.
If I am here at all.
Am I still dreaming, you think?

Did the world end?

Was it us?
Was it Israel?

My family is here, so it isn't hell,
But I am here, so it isn't heaven.

Did Cern start up?
Did they rip the fabric again?
Did that weird assed fog I saw yesterday roll in?

The sky doesn’t look right.
I don’t feel right.
If so much is wrong, then I should know…
…right?

A pinch.
A slap.
A cup or two of coffee…

No startling awake scene follows.

I think I exist, so perhaps?

So, heavy as I am,
energy warbled,
and aura off kilter
all around out of sorts,
I face the day.
If it is the day…