I’m done trying to perfect this poem. Here it is. The Liberating Tremor Mark Bair 2020 Dreaming longinglyFor her wedding day,She was disruptedBy a divine disturbance,A tremor tearingTerra firma under her,And pouring privilege prodigally. ‘Why me?’‘Why has a debtor been… Read More »The Liberating Tremor: A Christmas Poem
As I noted last week, I am trying to participate in the Advent season, which takes place over the four weeks before Christmas. In Advent, we are invited to long for the beauty of Christ’s coming even as we look… Read More »Musings of an Advent Rookie II
Big in Heaven: A Collection of Stories Stephen Siniari Reviewed by Mark Bair, published in The Englewood Review of Books Stephen Siniari’s Big in Heaven is a profoundly moving collection of short stories. Each one involves the people of Saint Alexander the… Read More »Big in Heaven: A Collection of Stories
The picture above is an example of a beautiful kintsugi repair. Originating in Japan, masters of kintsugi mend tea bowls with lacquer and gold. A bowl mended with gold becomes more valuable than the original. I recently read a profoundly… Read More »The Beauty of a Broken and Contrite Spirit
In the introductory essay to a collection of poems evoking joy, Christian Wiman says there is a “special kind of pain” associated with joy. It is a homesickness for a home you were not aware of having. A longing you… Read More »Beauty and Sadness