Verse

Although I’m not much of a poet I sometimes think like one. Or rather, I turn off thinking and let words stagger down a few lines to evoke on the page what my true self is experiencing at that moment.

“Twig,” by Mike Shell (2/28/2026)

I’m more of photographer than a poet. My verses contrive to be snapshots of something that is here and gone, yet poignant in memory.

From Walking the empty path (2024 – present)

• Not a new year.... (1/2/2026)

• There is no name for (2/1/2026)

• If I had half a mind…. (2/8/2026)

• When I awake at 3:30 (2/17/2026)

• Why would war.… (3/2/2026)

• Woke at 4:30 again (3/7/2026)

• Light and shadow (3/8/2026)

• Archaeology (3/21/2026)

• Not having anything to write (3/24/2026)

From The empty path: Nonaligned faith and practice in the present (2007 – 2024)

• Glyphs of wood and water (11/26/2011)

• The profane gardener (9/28/2018)

• Winter mammals (12/7/2018)

• Migraine (1/19/2019)

• Why have you forsaken me? (1/20/2019)

• Advent (12/5/2019)

• Mark 2:1-12 (12/10/2019)

• Winter Solstice – 2019 (12/23/2019)

• Eye wall (1/6/2020)

• Oxen (2/10/2020)

• Empty (4/12/2020)

• Mood (5/6/2020)

• Something isn’t happening (5/17/2020)

• Rain (5/28/2020)

• The personal, not the political (5/29/2020)

• Gardening (8/12/2020)

• Sissy boy (8/16/2020)

• Pandemic reset (3/22/2021)

• Stop wasting (4/28/2021)

• Watch (5/7/2021)

• Lying to myself (5/18/2021)

• Perpetual motion (8/1/2021)

• Prodigal son (12/11/2021)

• Moment (12/21/2021)

• Not the forest but the tree leaf (7/28/2022)

• Fixed (11/19/2022) – How did the poem “Fixed” come to me? (11/20/2022)

• Nothing comes (12/4/2022)

• Flow (12/16/2022)

• Mourning (1/24/2023)

• Silence (1/31/2023)

• Bardo (2/11/2023)

• Late afternoon (3/24/2023)

• Both (6/8/2023)

• Disgust (7/14/2023)

• Angry grief (8/25/2023)

• Person (6/28/2024)