Author Archives: presssendpoetry

Author and editor for Press Send Poetry. Marketing for Barcoding, Inc. #Baltimore #Poet

train whistle in the rain

From Alice B. Johnson’s “Where Children Live” (my great-grandmother’s book of poetry)

Why must I sleep so lightly when the rain
Beats dismally against my window pane,
Through dark and endless hours of the night
That fill themselves with loneliness and fright?
Why must I lay awake and sometimes hear,
Not only rain — but suddenly and clear,
The whistle of a speeding troop-filled train?
Such lonely sounds at night —
Train whistle —
Rain.

wedding toast for my little sister

Since it was so well received, I thought I’d post the “toast” I gave at my sister’s wedding this past weekend. It’s a little long, but I hope you enjoy! Especially if you have or are a little sister. 
Poetry will be back tomorrow 🙂 

First – thank you to the Bryants for a fabulous rehearsal dinner and thank you to my parents – for this wonderful day, for spoiling us rotten, and for setting the bar extraordinarily high when it comes to long happy marriages!
Now… where do you start when you’ve been best friends with someone for almost 30 years? I guess you just start talking about what you know:

Leanne is my baby sister. My little pooh bear. Not only is she gorgeous, she is inspiring in so many ways – her generosity, her compassion, her way of making us all laugh with seal barks…

It’s incredible – we’ve done almost everything together. Literally, as far back as my memories stretch we’ve been side by side, partners-in-crime… For those of you without a little sister, it’s hard to describe what it’s like. It’s like this invisible thread – when she feels pain, I feel it too. When she laughs, I’m usually right there laughing. When we’re away from each other, I miss her terribly. And when we’re hanging out, I have the best time!

Since not everyone can understand, I thought I’d give you some examples. With a little sister, you can:
  • Play piano duets – not that I recommend it, but you can.
  • Experiment on whether a person can be folded into a sleep sofa. In this case, yes – but it doesn’t go over too well. And that’s all the cousins’ fault, especially Ryan!
  • Always have the best beach volleyball doubles partner
  • Count on someone to dance with you when no one else is brave enough
  • Have someone drive you to work for 3 months when you can’t
  • Always have a concert buddy, one that gets you on tour buses and backstage– and pushes you to meet your rockstar boyfriend Dave Grohl
  • Build the perfect fort in the woods
  • Share the embarrassment of cruising the Cali coast in an Aztec
  • Have someone to beat in Monopoly
  • Have a cookie decorating assembly line
  • Share secrets you wouldn’t tell anyone else in the whole world – which we used to do as little kids in these special tents on our beds…
And speaking of tents, that actually reminds me of this one time…

I was in an “explorers club” and somehow I convinced (that’s another good thing about a little sister, you have someone to convince to do things) Leanne and Megan to join. At that time, they were kind of a package deal.

The trip was back-packing on the AT. Everything went wrong – a broken tent, a boy named Toodles who teased them without mercy and peed by their tent, brown leaves/grey rocks, pasta that turned into paste, and backpacks that weighed a ton. Leanne (and Megan) were miserable. I think before the weekend was over, camping was sworn off forever.

So imagine my surprise when Leanne comes to me after one year of dating some guy named Gary, all smiling and excited about spending their anniversary on Assateague Island. Not in a hotel or bed and breakfast or RV… but CAMPING. Camping?!!

And that’s when I suddenly knew… This wasn’t just some guy, this was the one. The love of her life. The scary, overwhelming, spine tingling kind of love of her life.
And I could not have been happier then or now!

I’ve been blessed to be with Leanne and Gary since that fateful, and drunken, meeting at Portside – and even if you guys try to get rid of me, I plan on being with you for all the happy years to come. Gary, I always tell people you are exactly the brother I’ve always wanted. Except you’re a year younger and I always wanted an older brother. But no matter – I couldn’t be more excited to have you in our family!

And no matter what happens good and bad, Leanne’s always been there for me, and I’ve always tried to be there for her. While you now have a new partner in crime and someone else to blame for bad camping experiences, always know that I’m just a phone call or special sister ESP vibe away.

One last thing… Leanne loves tradition, so before we raise our glasses, we need to honor one that the new couple holds very dear….


Turn to the person next to you – raise your hand – and high five!

Now… let’s raise a glass –
To Suela and G; here’s to a love that grows stronger each day, a life that blooms bigger than a sunflower, and a life-long dedication to big bowls of ice cream followed by very loud high fives!!

untitled (big bang)

if you were there you heard only static
like
a steady hum

until the collisions happened
and then
things
were born and
things started accelerating out

now all these things
mean so little
make no sound in the vacuum
of space
but they keep pushing
outward.

[author’s note – Blogger has been down the past several days! We’re back up and running now – thanks for your patience! I also had the special joy of seeing my little sister get married this weekend! It was beyond amazing! I’m so happy for Leanne and Gary!]

to Robert Plant circa 1971

it’s midnight – we are now
twenty-three,
if i lean just so out the window
your hand will
curve to the bare
small of my back
while the other will gently
tap the steering wheel,
all of this
just as the California dusk
takes a breathless gasp
at the sight of
night

then when
the smoke has cleared
and tea has surrendered
to breezes exploring their sheer
surface we’ll be
finding bare footing on
the cold metal rungs
of the fire escape
with nothing –  nothing
but to believe in
our immortality and to fill
blank seconds of
night