The Godtouch
(a collection of 55 poems) was published by Northwood Press in 1985.

The cover art was created by Laurie Braddock, a student at Bluffton (Ohio) College.

The book is out of print and I reclaimed full rights. Most of the poems previously had been published in various literary and religious magazines.

 

My dad always teasingly called it "poultry."

That's kind of the attitude I had toward it when I was a kid, too. Poetry didn't seem to be much good for anything. But as I grew up and in deeper love with words, things shifted.

I don't remember the first time it happen, but I always know now when it does. It's what I call that poetry magic thing. The poem touches something inside your head or your heart, sends a shiver to your liver, and makes you say "Whoa" out loud in a soft spoken-to-yourself whisper.

Ever have one of those moments? That's what poetry is all about. Poems are condensed and distilled chunks of reality, boiled down to their most intense essence.

When you pour yourself into a poem, it's like when you pour water on one of those dried sponge toys -- the little blue blob suddenly expands into a giant dinosaur or whatever. A good poem does that sort of thing in your head, expanding your insight and broadening your emotional sensitivities.

A way long time ago, my interest in poetry was first piqued by the likes of Rod McKuen and Kahlil Gibran. That interest was augmented by the music of Simon and Garfunkel, the Doors, Tim Hardin, Leonard Cohen, and others.

Fortunately, I had an English teacher in high school who nudged me toward more serious material. I started digging into e. e. cummings (not just the cute stuff), Robert Frost, John Leax, Carl Sandburg, Emily Dickinson, T. S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, and others. Later in college, another teacher of English immersed me in Milton, Donne, and the other great older English poets.

My favorite poet is James Dickey. He died a few years  ago. He was the author of Deliverance and even had a role in the movie that was based on his novel. I always experience that poetry magic thing when I read his poems, especially "Fence Wire." It pulls you in and you see and feel everything as if you are in the poem.

Another poet that I really like and just recently discovered is Stephen Dunn, a Pulitzer winner

All that's just to let you know that, while my poetry may not be as good as that of a Dickey or Dunn or whomever, I do know what good poetry is about.

When I write a poem, I try to write it well. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes flop miserably. You can read and decide for yourself which I've done with each of the poems in The Godtouch. My hope is that you'll find at least one that does that poetry magic thing to you.