Left Hand Poetry

We're well into the Fall season here on the East Coast, and as I was searching for this week's poem, I happened on this piece, which I wrote while on a visit to Los Angeles a few years back. Think of it as something of an elegy for both deciduous trees and man's hubris.

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The poems will continue to flow, but so must the Justice.

It's the Halloween season, and though most of us in the US are in lockdown/self-isolation/quarantine this year, that doesn't mean we can't enjoy a little seasonal content. With that in mind, this week I bring you "Soon ... A Poem for All Hallow's Eve." Based on something that actually happened to me and then filtered through my fertile imagination, "Soon ..." tells a tale of a non-fatal encounter with Death.

I want to hear what you think of the podcast, whether it's a specific poem or the format, or whatever's on your mind! Leave a review or a comment in your podcast app, or catch me on Twitter @Lefthandrob.

After listening to the podcast (or while listening), visit one of these sites and donate for the cause, because All Black Lives Matter and my fellow white (and cis) people we need to get in the game:

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The poems will continue to flow, but so must the Justice.

We're approaching Halloween and so I turn from my weeks of earnestness into something a bit more ... spooky? Not that last week's episode didn't have shades of spookiness, what with all the ghosts of the past haunting those words. But this week we mix together my two written creative loves: Poetry and Science Fiction. "Phobos" is the experience of someone approaching that larger moon of Mars for the first time, about to set foot on an alien world.

I want to hear what you think of the podcast, whether it's a specific poem or the format, or whatever's on your mind! Leave a review or a comment in your podcast app, or catch me on Twitter @Lefthandrob.

After listening to the podcast (or while listening), visit one of these sites and donate for the cause, because All Black Lives Matter and my fellow white (and cis) people we need to get in the game:

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Transgender Law Center

The poems will continue to flow, but so must the Justice.

After a smattering of absurdity, I've been choosing poems that are, in a word, earnest. This week's selection is no different. From Regret and Opportunity, this episode is the poem "And I Will Then Be Ashes." Though earnest, it takes a turn for what I hope is inspirational, which is something that I have a feeling a lot of us can use. So, stick with me on this brief journey, let me set the table so that I can reveal my true thoughts as we wind our way through to the end.

I'd love to hear what you think of the podcast, whether it's a specific poem or the format, or whatever's on your mind! Leave a review or a comment in your podcast app, or catch me on Twitter @Lefthandrob.

After listening to the podcast (or while listening), visit one of these sites and donate for the cause, because All Black Lives Matter and my fellow white (and cis) people we need to get in the game:

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Transgender Law Center

The poems will continue to flow, but so must the Justice.

A quiet moment as I remember watching some trees from my office window when I worked in Washington, DC. "Golden Leaves, Common Verdance" tells the story of this time of year when the leaves change from green to an earthy rainbow of hues and then cascade to the ground, leaving nothing but slender branches moving in the wind.

Hey, I'd love to hear what you think of the podcast, whether it's a specific poem or the format, or whatever's on your mind! Leave a review or a comment in your podcast app, or catch me on Twitter @Lefthandrob.

After listening to the podcast (or while listening), visit one of these sites and donate for the cause, because All Black Lives Matter and my fellow white (and cis) people we need to get in the game:

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Transgender Law Center

The poems will continue to flow, but so must the Justice.

We take a turn to the observational this week, with "In Court." I once spent a morning in the gallery of the local courthouse and came out of it with a day's less vacation time and this poem. The poem itself has undergone a bit of revision since it was first published in "Stand Right, Walk Left." There was a stanza that reflected who I was then, but not into whom I have grown, and so I rewrote that stanza to share my observation, but not in the classist, frankly jerkish way that the original words conveyed. If you have a copy of that book, the changed stanza will be readily apparent. If you haven't picked up a copy yet - or a copy of "Blue." or "Regret and Opportunity," then what's stopping you? Links to get copies are on my blog (lefthandrob.net).

Hey, I'd love to hear what you think of the podcast, whether it's a specific poem or the format, or whatever's on your mind! Leave a review or a comment in your podcast app, or catch me on Twitter @Lefthandrob.

After listening to the podcast (or while listening), visit one of these sites and donate for the cause, because All Black Lives Matter and my fellow white (and cis) people we need to get in the game:

Donate to Black Lives Matter

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Transgender Law Center

The poems will continue to flow, but so must the Justice.

Let's dive back into the absurd again, with another piece pertaining to ducks. This time, it's an essay, "To Obtain Duck Sauce," which oddly enough isn't my only food/animal hybrid piece, but it is the work I read for you this work. So, leave the world behind for a few minutes and enjoy something out of left field.

Hey, I'd love to hear what you think of the podcast, whether it's a specific poem or the format, or whatever's on your mind! Leave a review or a comment in your podcast app, or catch me on Twitter @Lefthandrob.

After listening to the podcast (or while listening), visit one of these sites and donate for the cause, because All Black Lives Matter and my fellow white (and cis) people we need to get in the game:

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Transgender Law Center

The poems will continue to flow, but so must the Justice.

Miles Davis plays right into my soul. His work was the inspiration for the theme music for this podcast. This week's poem, "Blue." is something of an ode to his work, probably even composed or at least dreamt up while listening to "Kind of Blue." If you haven't listened to any of his work, fire up your music service of choice and dig out his music. Especially if you like my musical homage that greets you and takes you through this podcast each week.

Hey, I'd love to hear what you think of the podcast, whether it's a specific poem or the format, or whatever's on your mind! Leave a review or a comment in your podcast app, or catch me on Twitter @Lefthandrob.

After listening to the podcast (or while listening), visit one of these sites and donate for the cause, because All Black Lives Matter and my fellow white (and cis) people we need to get in the game:

Donate to Black Lives Matter

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Transgender Law Center

The poems will continue to flow, but so must the Justice.

These two poems go together quite well, I think, so for this week I offer you another Twofer: "Cymbal and Drum" and "Metronaut," both inspired by my time spent commuting in and out of Washington, D.C. on the Metro System. Though these take a slightly different tack than did "Ecologies of Scale," heard in a previous episode but inspired by that same commute. I also experimented a little with some audio editing underneath "Metronaut," curious to hear if you think it worked, maybe I'll get fancy again in the future.

Hey, I'd love to hear what you think of the podcast, whether it's a specific poem or the format, or whatever's on your mind! Leave a review or a comment in your podcast app, or catch me on Twitter @Lefthandrob.

After listening to the podcast (or while listening), visit one of these sites and donate for the cause, because All Black Lives Matter and my fellow white (and cis) people we need to get in the game:

Donate to Black Lives Matter

Donate to the Souther Poverty Law Center

Donate to the Equal Justice Initiative

Transgender Law Center

The poems will continue to flow, but so must the Justice.

Here's a couple of items -- yes you get a 2fer this week! -- that will hopefully be very funny to a select segment of the population, and hopefully enjoyable for the rest of you out there who choose to spend 5 minutes a week with me in your ear. "Opera Bio" began as a joke when a friend and performer in one of the opera production I created the program for had yet to turn in his cast bio. The result is what I jokingly threatened to insert in its place. Trolling at its finest. The person in question is a great guy. You know who you are! "Sonic Vintage of the Fourth Formant" is what happens when an explanation classical singing collides with my damaged imagination.

Hey, I'd love to hear what you think of the podcast, whether it's a specific poem or the format, or whatever's on your mind! Leave a review or a comment in your podcast app, or catch me on Twitter @Lefthandrob.

After listening to the podcast (or while listening), visit one of these sites and donate for the cause, because All Black Lives Matter and my fellow white (and cis) people we need to get in the game:

Donate to Black Lives Matter

Donate to the Souther Poverty Law Center

Donate to the Equal Justice Initiative

Transgender Law Center

The poems will continue to flow, but so must the Justice.