Cleaning out the closet a few weekends ago I ran across an old box, full of papers from my undergrad days. Among other things, I found some free verse I'd written around the age of twenty. Seeing these 15-20 years later — after graduating, two marriages, parenthood, a career change, etc. — was like seeing them with new eyes. They are full of angst, certainly: full of solitude, longing, and uncertainty — but also hope. Much has changed in the years since, and I've now found much of what I was looking for back then. Nonetheless, here's a piece of someone I once was. — John Kerl, Feb. 2006.
Sep. 2006 — There are now some ongoing newer items. These are not about youthful angst anymore. In my technical writing at work, and when I talk, I often try to find clarity in verbosity. Here, by contrast, I’m looking for clarity in brevity: I enjoy finding a few dozen carefully chosen words which express an idea or capture a moment in time.