Tip for Tip

This young man offering poems by donation in Washington Square Park––an old haunt of mine as a graduate student at NYU––has given me an idea. 

 

I tip my hat to you, for showing up, for stopping by and reading a poem or two. The ones posted directly here, as well as the ones published by journals shared via links, are all freely given, without compensation. If you feel like dropping a tip in my hat, to pay for a cup of tea, perhaps, I thank you for this kindness! My Venmo is @Charise-Hoge. 

 

Cheers,
Charise

"Flashback"

It's perfect timing that the poem "Flashback" appears in the March/April issue of Cathexis Northwest Press, and that I get to share this news with you on International Women's Day.

 

You'll find my poem on pages 12 & 13. This issue is free to read with the following link:

https://www.cathexisnorthwestpress.com/mar-apr-2023

Where We Left Off

Porto, Portugal

 

The book may be complete, but the travel resumes––

Portugal, for the first time, and Europe, for the first time since 2019.

 

“Anointed”

Topical Poetry has kindly published 

“Anointed/for Tyre Nichols”  

in record time. 

        https://www.topicalpoetry.com/anointed/

"Sugar and Sabbath"

Sugar and Sabbath

We are very much supportive of the family

—the biblical definition of the family unit.

Dan Cathy, Chairman of Chick-fil-A

 

A chef, my cousin-in-law,

theorizes that the lure

of customers to Chick-fil-A

is a pervasiveness of sugar

 

in every item. Their closure

on Sunday for worship

will surely feature

sweet benevolent biscuits

 

by Monday. The wait tantalizes

tongues longing to waggle

where wrappers are tossed aside

like clothes and a juicy nibble 

 

is ordained. A sensuous

sandwich is a sensuous sandwich.

Let us pray for any delicious

pairing that heralds bliss domestic.

 

~LCMH

"Take a Poem, Leave a Poem"

A park ranger who is also a poet has figured out how to place poetry in the park via a nightstand. "Take a poem, leave a poem" is the cue for a passerby to pause. As someone invested in bridging poetry and community, I love this project. 

Art by JR Korpa

Some of the original writing left in the nightstand is making its way to Instagram. This means that a form of publication is happening from unexpected sources––from people whose poems would never be shared so widely. And this excites me. Good poetry can be showcased outside of journals, magazines, or books. And, good poetry can surface randomly, in the park, prompted by a piece of furniture and the encouragement to settle into an inner voice.

Read the story here:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/01/05/poetry-nightstand-park-ranger-sanfrancisco/

Read some of the handwritten poetry on Instagram at ccsf_p4p (Poetry for the People).

Warm Wishes,
Charise

Festive Imaginings

 

Happy holidays from my home to yours...

 

An Indonesian puppet gets festive, while the poetry books are held by a lion on our Korean stairs. The 'things' in a space speak of places and imaginings. 

 

Thank you for being part of my imagining world, dear reader. 

Warm wishes,

Charise

"Dance Critic Cut"

Dance Critic Cut

 

Dismissed, in a retrograde move.

Fall without recovery.

 

Dance is a mirror–– 

pointing to motifs.

 

Choreographies grapple

with headlines, staged and restaged.

 

The Washington Post disposing

of a vital limb of its body.

 

Out of step, out of steps.

The wrong tempo, the worst time.

 

Neurons of narratives quelled.

A paper without poise.

 

~LCMH

 

 

*December 1, 2022, “Washington Post lays off Pulitzer-winning dance critic in spate of cuts“