His Modest Debut

Visual, musical, humorous, and humane; these lively poems from the author's 20s are interesting both by themselves and for pre-figuring the later songwriting.

From the 2017 introduction: "For that cloud of witnesses then, for that younger edition of myself, for my sons, my family, my dear Ruba who keeps encouraging me, for my friends, and for you if you are interested, here are ocean and fishing poems, a pretty good love poem or two, and some pieces I would call seeker's poems. I put the best stuff in me that I had and the best stuff I knew into this work."

(Here's one of my favorites):

La Pacifica

I see your eyes half-open

at 4:a.m., sleeping silks

around your ankles,

and at noon in a white shift

with the sun on your shoulder

you go striding;

see you, baby, and cower

when you scream in your mirror

at 60 knots

La Pacifica.

-1979, Astoria