Five years ago today, in the frigid December of 2019, I held the complete manuscript of By the Bones for the first time.

Now, it’s one of my favorite collections, and I’m proud of the confidence it gave me to realize my passion for writing and teaching poetry.

To celebrate, here are five of my favorite poems from By the Bones. Enjoy!

Poem 1: By the Bones

By the bones of our fathers,
We learn.
By the bones of our mothers,
We yearn.
By the bones of our children,
We grieve.
By the bones of our elders,
We weave.
By the bones of our past,
We break.
By the bones of our future,
We take.
By the bones of our flesh,
We live.
By the bones of our soul,
We give.

Poem 2: Hul Gil

As I lay me in the dirt
Remembering my sin
Take this lump of useless flesh
And plant black seeds within

Let them sprout within my veins
And travel with the flow 
Numbing me from life’s dismay
While pushing from below

Crimson petals soon erupt
And plant me further still
In this earthen bed of mine,
Diminishing my will

From the star-lit stratosphere
I see my idle bones
Buried in the poppy field,
Exploring death’s unknowns

Poem 3: Incantation

Sing.
Rattle
The dry bones
From their slumber.
Hear them clattering
Within their darkened tombs,
Dancing to the melodies
For the first time in centuries.
Rouse them from their casket beds
With songs that they once knew.
Sing their memories,
So they can rest
Once again
At peace.

Sing.

Poem 4: Aokigahara

Spirits dance within reticent trees
Their songs echoing off the mount
As their bones sway in the wind
Clattering together
Like macabre windchimes
Beckoning you
To enter
And find
Death

Poem 5: Bombinating

The bones in me are humming;
Singing, thrumming,
Yearning for the places
I’ve never been before.

Within all this aching;
Ringing, awaking,
I’m ready for adventure
Along some distant shore.

This consistent nagging;
Stinging, bragging,
Set my world afire
And shook me to my core.

Now my soul is trembling;
Clinging, assembling,
Ready for a future
Too big to ignore.

The bones in me are humming; 
Singing, thrumming,
And I’ll follow their directions
Until my last encore.

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