Michael Simms: The Dark
The park ranger herded us down
the chained path sloping into the earth
until we came to a cathedral
where columns of rock caught the light
and shimmered.
Max Ehrmann: Desiderata
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.
Michael Simms: The Great Conjunction
I think of the sun rising between
great standing stones,
and the Persians gathering for Yaldā Night
to eat pomegranates
and recite the poems of Hafez.
Michael Simms: Civilization and Her Discontents
On the morning of the important day, Civilization woke up on the wrong side of bed again, rolled over and fell on the floor.
Martín Ramírez: Self-taught Master
Born in Jalisco, Mexico, Martín Ramírez (1895 – 1963) is widely known as one of the preeminent self-taught masters of the 20th Century.
Michael Simms: André Breton and the Birth of Surrealism
The Poem was worried. He’d heard rumors of Rondels in other lands being infested with illogic, and there was no known cure.
A note about Vox Populi’s new look for our poetry
Dear Vox Populi subscribers: Yay! I’m not a techie, so I’m excited that I stayed up all night learning how to use CSS code on Vox Populi in order to … Continue reading
Michael Simms: Blue Notes
I think of Fats Waller whose left hand leaped down the keys, showing the path for every jazz pianist who followed, including the great Art Tatum and the minor Billy Joel.
Michael Simms: Writing Prompt #1 | The Quotidian Poem
This post marks the beginning of a new irregular feature in Vox Populi. I hope readers of Vox Populi, many of whom are writers, will find the prompt helpful in stimulating their creativity.
Michael Simms: The Turn
It’s the old dancers that fascinate me.
Training everyday as the body resists,
The spirit lifts them into clarity.
Vincent Van Gogh: Art and Soul
A great fire burns within me, but no one stops to warm themselves at it, and passers-by only see a wisp of smoke.
Dear Vox Populi subscribers,
At 7pm tonight the official launch of American Ash, my new collection of poems published by Ragged Sky, is happening. I’ll be reading with two wonderful poets — Joan Bauer and Richard St. John.
Michael Simms: Why we must win
The Democrats have to win the 2020 election. Our survival as a nation, and perhaps as a species, depends on removing the criminal organization that the GOP has become and starting our journey to a just society. We owe this victory to our children and our grandchildren.
