Category Archives: Poetry

A Pinwheeling Leaf Now for sale in paperback. The blurb is out of date. The book has 99 poems.

[tanka] a bee swarm of duckslifts off from the wetlands,then forms a V…what kind of no-mindmakes them do that?

Perfume Christmas was coming.I walked into J.J. Newberry,the five and dime on Huntington Drive,and approached the perfume counter.The saleslady could seeI didn’t have a lot to work with.She tried to fit quality to my budgetby showing me a tiny containerof … Continue reading →

Abraham’s Bargain Genesis 18:16-32 The Lord is angry. I ask the Lord,“Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?If you are just, would that be fair?” I stand before the Lord and ask,“If fifty are righteous, will all be … Continue reading →

Announcement I uploaded three of my poetry eBooks to Amazon this week. Go to Amazon.com and select Books. In the search engine, do this: (a) Type “Bud and Mary Baldwin”, (b) Type “Inspired by Scripture Baldwin”, or (c) Type “A … Continue reading →

On the Bridge Hebrews 4:12-16 The word of the Lord is an oscillating dialogof course-corrections from the officer of the deck to the helmsmanas the helmsman utters “Aye,” repeats the command,and turns the helm and tiller to the new heading. … Continue reading →

Cigars Cigars evoke the stadium.Whenever I catch the driftof a great cigar, I revisit the Coliseumwhere you and Iwould cheer the darkest teamIn white America.The tunnels reeked of smoke,cigars especially;today I miss the stench. Cigars evoke for meour best of … Continue reading →

Now That I Am Dead After reading “Evening Land” by Pär Lagerkvist As I stooped through the low portal of death,I saw my human fateemptied out into a lethe. Life’s luggage of love and hatewas left behind the wall;the gardener … Continue reading →

[haiku] nightfalla cricket aria,then the chorus

Residents Only How is this different from the deep south?There is no “Whites Only” signon the front of the Orange Grove Plunge. That’s one difference.The sign says,“South Pasadena Residents Only,” and you need an officialSouth Pasadena resident ID cardto show … Continue reading →

You Do Not Always Have Me John 12:1-8 The flowing lake is always filling,but is never full.Once there was a true sense of fullness—of which all that now remainsis an empty print and trace.The lake strains for completionwith waters around … Continue reading →

On Mount Wilson Mother said her father,my grandfather, had a request.He wanted to take a drive up to Mount Wilson for a dayand he asked to take me with him.Just me. I thought that was strange,but I said OK.It was … Continue reading →

The Drifters Their lyrics sealed the promiseof August of ’59,There goes my babymovin’ on down the line. I had a brown-eyed sweetheartwhen I was seventeen.Our worlds were far apartand the Drifters fell between. The mournful whine is silent;the booming drum … Continue reading →