Compound Eyes

My first chapbook, printed on a letterpress in 1991, contains original poems about nature … specifically poems about bugs! Each poem is a pantoum sonnet - an original form created by the poet. The Blurb edition is revised and expanded, containing a total of eighteen poems.

The letterpress version was printed on the old family press (an 1888 Golding Pearl) at East Point in North Idaho. It contains twelve pages including three hand-carved linoleum block prints. The book was handset in 6, 10 and 24 point Twentieth Century Bold type.

Water Wings

Leaving the water for life in the air
As fluids pump into still crumpled wings,
Poised on the unknown, still willing to dare
His blazing eye-gems eclipse human kings.

As fluids pump into still crumpled wings
The dragonfly clings to a slender reed.
His blazing eye-gems eclipse human kings;
His old habitat fast fails his new need.

The dragonfly clings to a slender reed
Willing to go where he never has gone,
His old habitat fast fails his new need:
No clear choice remains except to go on.

Poised on the unknown, still willing to dare:
Leaving the water for life in the air.