The Truth About Tigers

Hi, friends. I wanted to share a few Collaborature updates in one place. Editor Melissa Lemay featured Mad Dark Winter Sky, a short poem my daughter Phoebe and I wrote together a few years ago when she was nine. We made it using those little word magnets you can rearrange on the refrigerator to form sentences. Melissa also invited me to serve as the guest judge for the… Read more: A Little Collaboration Goes a Long Way

“You’re sick of the game!” Well, now, that’s a shame.    You’re young and you’re brave and you’re bright.“You’ve had a raw deal!” I know — but don’t squeal,    Buck up, do your damnedest, and fight.It’s the plugging away that will win you the day,    So don’t be a piker, old pard!Just draw on your grit; it’s so easy to quit:    It’s the keeping-your-chin-up… Read more: The First Poem I Ever Memorized

This year,the bluebonnets feel like distractions—a velvet curtain pulledover something beginning to fray. In the rearview,she hums with Billie Eilish in her headphones,her face still round with youth,but beginning to learn its angles. I worry.A queer kid in public school,growing up in a statethat tilts harderwith each new bill. While those at the topswing hammers at federal protections,local extremists finally see their opening. She catches me watching.I… Read more: The Road Ahead

by Phoebe and Nick Allison Fluffy pink unicorns dance on rainbowswhile long-lashed dogs wear flowers like fur.Soft green Yoda-lights sway overhead,framing my second-story windowwhere moonlight spills onto the bed,silver-casting quiet shadows. I drift,carried across a calm sea of sleep. At dawn, I wake in a brighter room—its sharp light hums like a secret.A blue shark swimsacross a storm-tossed whiteboardbefore the bed floats gently downa river of tile.… Read more: Magic Doors

Hello, friends. Another New Year’s Eve has arrived. The weather couldn’t have been better—65 degrees and sunny, with a light north wind. I spent the day visiting the Austin Zen Center, taking a walk along Lady Bird Lake, and enjoying a cup of coffee at Civil Goat on Guadalupe, where I wrote this short poem. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read or… Read more: Happy New Year (Make Friends with the Fallen Leaves)

If you happen to be in or around Georgetown, TX, I’d love for you to check out Lark and Owl Booksellers. This independent bookstore isn’t just a cozy spot for book lovers—it’s also home to a vibrant literary community that celebrates emerging voices. I’m happy to share that two of my poems, The Gender Inequity of Sidewalk Superstitions and International Cheetah Day, are featured in their very first literary journal, Kindred… Read more: Support Your Local Indie Bookstores! (Two Poems Published in Kindred Characters at Lark and Owl Booksellers)