bradley-gene-garber
Lake Oswego, Oregon
Brad has degrees in biology, chemistry and law. He writes, paints, draws, photographs, hunts for mushrooms and snakes, and runs around naked in the Great Northwest. Since 1991, he has published poetry, essays and weird stuff in many quality publications. His writing is, primarily, experience-driven, but he ventures into unknown territory, at times, in order to expand his horizons. He writes about nature, war, frivolity, love, pain, aging and simple feelings. Most of his poems are vignettes, flash photos, pieces of reality. Brad has been a musician and songwriter since the 1970's, with an Honorable Mention in the International Songwriting Contest for the song “Northwind,” in 1980 and the song “Song for the Morning,” in 1981. Since 1987, he has been employed as a Workers’ Compensation defense attorney. He is a 2013 Pushcart Prize nominee.
He walked off the yellow bus
the young “black” man
the first, his pack
full of what a mother would pack
to taunts, surrounded
gulls around a struggling fish
coyotes on a newborn calf
sharks ready to clean things up
this was Wisconsin
not Birmingham, Selma, Biloxi
No one called him “African-American”
I remember him as cute
I remember him as friendly
I remember him scared
I remember him gone
What word, what experience
what tears?
The proud father, craving peace
warm earth, simple animals
fresh green plants from the soil
protection for his son
Sold the farm and returned to Chicago
Sep 30, 2016
Sep 30, 2016 at 9:34 PM UTC