This poem about ascending juxtaposes hard working Pakistani concrete carriers with those who choose the suicide bomber's shortcut route to heaven.  Includes link to a poetry video.

Almost every day during our few months living in Mansehra, Pakistan, I walked Jules to work in the morning.  On these walks I saw some interesting things.  One of those sights inspired a poem, which came to me nearly fully formed - I had only to hurry home and write it down.

Even from Pakistan I keep writing about the Anacostia River and Kenilworth.  Written on the theme of how cut-off the people are from "their" river, this poem merges some of my own river experiences with historical river stories and pays tribute to a few who have worked to help the troubled waterway and the people who live along it.

A visitor at the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens once told me that, traditionally, the Buddha sits in the middle of the lotus blossom.  I imagined how the Buddha might feel about being on one of the blooms in my beloved lily ponds in Kenilworth.  Published in the June 2006 issue of East of the River .

A hymn to the sights and sounds of Kenilworth, past and present, and to my two cultures there- Amish Mennonite and urban black.  Published in Divided City 's late summer 2005 issue.

An ode to the Amish Mennonite nonviolent stance and the Mennonite men who came to work in Kenilworth rather than fight in Vietnam.  Published in Beltway Poetry Quarterly's "The Wartime Issue," spring 2006.