Cascade of Odes

By John J. McKenna

honest and heartfelt poetry

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Apr 27, 2011
• ISBN: 9781462011087

John J. McKenna

JOHN J. McKENNA was born Sept. 20, 1928, in Providence, RI. His education includes: B.A. Magna Cum Laude 1954, Providence College; M.Ed., 1958, RI College; University, of Michigan, full-time fellowships (competitive), 1960; Boston University, full-time fellowships (competitive) 1971. He is a private consultant, and married Annmarie McKenna on Feb. 9, 1986. He is a member of Council for Exceptional Children, Delta Epsilon Sigma (National Honor Society), American Association for Counseling, et al. His publications include grants, guides, position papers, and evaluation systems, 1970 to 1989. His awards include: State Special Education Administrator of Year 1981; Outstanding Achievement, RI Dept. of Ed., 1987; Citation: RI Senate, 1987. His aim, in writing poetry, is to verbally picture lifes most deeply felt experiences, from the troubling to the uplifting.

Book preview

Cascade

of

Odes

John J. McKenna

iUniverse, Inc.

Bloomington

Cascade of Odes

Copyright © 2011 John J. McKenna

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ISBN: 978-1-4620-1107-0 (pbk)

ISBN: 978-1-4620-1108-7 (ebk)

Printed in the United States of America

iUniverse rev. date: 4/12/2011

Contents

Introduction

True Love

Illness

Settled Deep

Sought/Found

Thinking About

The Quilt

Pinnacle

Flow

Visage

Song

225

My Choice

Harbor

Places

In Cold Morning Light

One More Time

Gathering

Need

1/10/97 Make up

Ornithology

Language

Dream to Reality

Flowers for Annmarie

Cardiac Sympathy

Wings

A River of Love

While Days are Sizzling

Following

Apology

Storms

Rancor

A Little Valentine’s Day Poem

To Live

The Doer and the Dreamer

Dash

Mission Accomplished

The Goodness of this Woman

Witness

Island

Expectation

Odyssey

Within Love

The Whisper

Darkness and Light

The Running

Milestone

My Harbor

The Answer

Petulance

Too Busy

Watching Over

Doctor’s Visit

Our Fire

Golden Strand

Fides Quaerens Intellectum

Marvelous Creation

Jewel

Our Love

Clockwise

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

Toast

You

Princess

Challenge

Mountain

Perception

Realization

Annmarie

March 24, _______

Born

Contact

Simple Symbol

More Beautiful

Focus

This Way

Capturing Time

The Waiting

Mystery

About the Editor

Introduction

When I was a much younger man, my mind opening more and more to the ideas and practices of eastern philosophies, I often felt the desire to bring my father, a depression-era son of Irish immigrants, around to my way of thinking about the nature of life and the universe. I never succeeded. Sometimes in my own reading or mental wanderings I would happen across a concept which I felt sure would do the job, but later over dinner we’d end up arguing. He already knew the answers – or, at any rate, was compelled to posture as if he did – and he believed, apparently, that anger proved his authority on many subjects. Eventually I stopped trying to change him.

On the surface of things, you could say that I was esoteric and he was pragmatic. I was hippie-dippy. He was old school, and catholic school at that. He was a realist and I was a romantic.

Recently then, when he agreed to smoke some marijuana to combat the effects of cancer, that forgotten, young part of me grew hopeful. I haven’t smoked pot for years, but it certainly had its place in the formation of my world view. Maybe Dad would experience a relaxing of mental constraints and spontaneously open to the ancient wisdom of his light body, or some shit. When, on the day of