I first became interested in poetry around 1970, when my freshman English teacher gave us a line to write from. I could always find something in a poem: a writer trying to make sense of life and live well despite its distractions.

In my thirties, poetry gave me an identity beyond my Navy rank. I kept that part of myself mostly private, but the desire to write mattered to me. Later, I built a second career as a software engineer and wrote about work, values, and the idea of “life balance.” I came to think that a fulfilling life doesn’t always look balanced from the outside. What matters is making choices that fit what you value. My own list includes pleasure, justice, growth, health, and peace.

After retiring in May, I’m giving poetry more of my time. During the pandemic, I wrote a poem a day through May and kept going. I enrolled in a poetry certificate program, took a detour into a yearlong writing cohort, and eventually returned to poetry.

I write about cooking, family, nature, and memory. I want my poems to be understandable and to hold an element of truth, even when they turn toward humor. If a poem can make someone smile—or laugh—and leave them feeling that life will be okay, I’m glad.

One poem from my chapbook, “Payday, The Family, & A Fast Food Place”, brings together the everyday truth and comic turn I love.

I’m working toward a poem a week, a sonnet crown, and a chapbook about cooking. I’m still learning, reading, and making room for the work. I hope to keep writing and sharing poems for the rest of my life.