What Am I Working On?

A series of poems based loosely on the true story of a woman with mental health issues who died of starvation in January in an abandoned farmhouse after the apples she harvested in October—she was convinced that she was going to be rescued at the beginning of December—ran out. Her body was recovered in May

The Apple Orchard in May

A kind of madness—summer in March.
Blossoms, too trusting to discern
the danger, were stripped from their stems when winter
returned in April. Expect no good
this season. Expect no fruit—no apples,
peaches, pears, or plums—except
the blemished, ill-formed orbs missed
by annihilation. Nihil. Nothing. Expect no good.

Why Do I Write What I Do?

I’m attracted to story. But I’m a miniaturist, a word-player. So I write poetry. There’s a strong narrative element in virtually every poem I write.

How Does My Writing Process Work?

I sketch until I discover what I call the terms of the poem—the What is this poem about? And then, I play.