High Sierra Lake

A recent visit to the mountains inspired this Haiku.

Read High Sierra Lake CLICK HERE









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There are several stories as to the origins of Uncle Sam.

He is said to have appeared quite early in U.S. history, in the midst of the War of 1812, when the U.S. fought its war against Britain over alleged British infractions of international maritime law.

Uncle Sam, the individual personification of the United States of America is a familiar sight to many. His high Top Hat, star covered headband dressed in a blue frock coat and red and white striped trousers has gazed over Americans since September 7th, 1813, in some form or another.

Poetry too has long been used as a means of putting across a political message. From the plays of Shakespeare, through the Romantic poets, Byron and Keats of the early 19th Century, political messages have been an important message for the poet.

In Britain today, there is still a poet laureate. Their duty to write poems on important events of the current day to record them in poetic form for future generations. Woe betide the poet laureate that fails to bring the right note of majesty to an important event. Public and politicians often berate poets who seek to impart the wrong message to posterity.

In my poem, written completely by acciddent on September 7th, 2011, the 198th birthday of Uncle Sam
I write for the old symbol to rise again. Pull the people together with old patriotic virtues and answer the question, Who is Uncle Sam?

Uncle Sam

Uncle Sam, Uncle Sam.
Star Spangled old man.
Many a year,
We held you dear.
Lead again one more rousing cheer.
Foe who in Patriot's garb,
Can savage this deadly barb.
Join as one to lead the Free
With love of Life and Liberty.
Uncle Sam, Uncle Sam.
Bring together the common man.
Underneath the Red, White and Blue.
To the Patriots ever true.
Lead us now from the fight.
To shine again Liberty's pure light.
Wipe away the tear of pain,
Sip the TEA of Boston's Main.
Come all heroes of the past,
Once more to the bugles blast.
March with us once again.
Save the land from our pain.
But What is that I hear?
Who is Sam? Who is Sam?
People that I love so dear.
YOU ARE SAM. YOU ARE SAM!

Flash Stories

One of my latest forays into the world of writing is creating "flash stories".
A flash story is a work of fiction which can be as short as just fifty-five words. More commonly however it is longer. It must have a beginning, middle and end, and the general maximum is just 1,000 words.

Flash story is a new term for an old form of literature and story telling. Many of the Fables of Aesop and Biblical Parables could be described as "Flash stories" too.

A Flash story, must be self contained, it cannot be part of a larger work. To create such a work would mean that it was merely a chapter in a longer story.

Flash stories need not contained detailed characterization and need to restrict detail to an absolute minimum. The only reason for a flash story to exist is to tell a story.
Like in the old days of the TV Cop show Dragnet, "Just the Fact's folks, Just the Facts."

To read Battlefield Ghost: An Interview with a Ghost from Pickett's Charge CLICK HERE!

New Nostradamus Quatrain

Today I read a story online. It was about the discovery of a new Quattrain by the Medieval Mystic Nostrodamus.

The Quatrain reads:

When Two Score and Four,
Sits beneath the Eagles Claw.
Then in One Hundred Score and three times four,
Firey rain to Earth Shall pour.

To read more of the story CLICK HERE!

The Indianapolis 500

Often as a poet there is a feeling which you want to share.

Several years ago, I wrote this poem, now slightly updated, about a trip to the Indianapolis 500 practice week.

The practice runs for the whole week before the race on the Sunday before Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, and the start of the American summer.

It was my first visit to the "Brickyard" as the Indianapolis speedway is known. The track is actually quite small only a little over the width of four cars  and my admiration for the drivers who throw their cars around that space only increased.

One of the greatest prizes in motor sport, winning the Indy 500, is celebrated not with formula one's more flamboyant champagne, but a cold bottle of milk, which dates back to the later days of prohibition.

I hope you will enjoy reading a tribute to Middle America and the heroes and heroines as well as the people who make the Indy 500 and the Brickyard a special place for me.

At the Speedway CLICK Here!