Night Visions

By Stephen J. Herman

This collection of poems contains dreams and visions that arise from a deep place within the collective unconscious and take form in images and words. The poems represent people and things that have inspired the author and transcend the darkness often found within us. They are a journey from that darkness into the light.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Sep 18, 2012
• ISBN: 9781466958470

Stephen J. Herman

Stephen J. Herman first learned the art and craft of writing poetry at SUNY Oswego, where he received his undergraduate degree, a BA in English with honors. He then went on to become a writing fellow at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he received an MFA in creative writing poetry before relocating to San Francisco with his life partner, Michael Lipp. Mr. Herman taught a highly popular Creative Writing Poetry Workshop at City College of San Francisco for twelve years and moved into the administration before retiring in 2010 as associate vice chancellor of administration and finance. In 1998, Mr. Herman was appointed to the Human Rights Commission by Mayor Willie Brown, where he served for two years. Later, he was appointed by Mayor Gavin Newsom to the San Francisco HIV Council and served as cochair of the council for two years. Besides spending time in his beloved city of San Francisco, his passions include writing poetry, photography, traveling abroad, and spending time with Michael at their ranch in Cloverdale, California, where they tend and harvest the vines and olive trees they planted and make limited editions of their Rains Creek Moscato Dolce dessert wine and extra virgin Rains Creek olive oil.

Book preview

Contents

ONE BY ONE I DROP THEM

DOWN MY THROAT

THE INHERITANCE

LIKE SEEDS WE FALL AWAY

THE ATTACK

for Little Fred

MEGARA, DREAM CHILD

THE ABORTION

ODE

"A DREAM WHICH IS NOT UNDERSTOOD

IS LIKE A LETTER NEVER OPENED"

Talmud

MIRROR LAKE

POINTING TO SIGNS

BURNING THE SECOND WICK

for Boccacio’s Lover

JEWEL

ON COMING HOME

IT IS IN TRUTH AN UTTER SOLITUDE

William Wordsworth

FOR RICHARD

(a condition)

SMALL CRAFT WARNINGS

RAMONA

IN WINTER’S LEAF

LUNAR SEQUENCES

THE PASSING OF KAHOUTEK COMET

for Salome

HALLOWEEN

THE THROB OF CHILDREN

for Brandt

FOR ALLEN GINSBERG

WAITING FOR THE SUICIDE TO DIE

WINTER ON THE MOUNT

THE MODEL

PILGRIM OF THE SCREEN

Circa 1890

LIVING WITH RACCOONS

STATION TO STATION

PORTRAIT OF JAYNELLEN

BRINGING IN THE NEW YEAR

ROSES FOR REM

   IDA   

YOU ARE PETER

BY THE CHOKE OF THE MOON

ELLENVILLE REVISITED

for Joy

MORNING’S AFTERNOON

LAMENT

BENNET

STEPS

SHOSHANAH

for Robin

LIVING WITH PLANTS

A PARABLE

for Michael

THE FIRE ON POTTER’S LAND

AUGUST IN COLORADO

RITE

REMEMBERING THE HOLOCAUST

DIANA

THE DREAM OF THE HUNTRESS

CRESTED BUTTE

AT THE MOUTH OF THE FALL

A DAY AT THE BEACH

RECITATIVE FOR DESIREE

BROADCAST

LETTERS TO THE DEAD

for Michael

and all those

who inspire me

FOREWORD

Stephen J. Herman and I met for the first time in September of 1965. He was an entering freshman in the State University of New York College at Oswego where I, too, was a newbie for, although I had been teaching college full-time for five years, I had moved back east after six years in the Midwest. I was looking forward to my first year as an assistant professor of English in a new school, and I was anxious to meet those students who might be interested in writing, especially poetry writing.

There were no classes specifically in poetry writing available that year, only an omnibus one in creative writing, but another instructor, Prof. Rupert Stroud, an old-timer at the school, had a hammerlock on that class. Rupe was getting set to retire, however, and there would be genre