Rogue Poems & Reasonable/Unreasonable Amounts of CookiesWhat I'm Reading, Morning Routine, Reclaiming Joy...🐙
Hi Friend, I’m sending you love from what started as a gray day here in the PacNW but has now moved into blue with a dash of whipped-cream clouds. I hope your day unfolded beautifully or even good enough(!) and that you found a little joy (hopefully more than a little) and bonus points if it surprised you. I think it’s important to keep joy near us these days…
I’m doing two things before anything else to help start my day: coffee and reading. Mostly poems, but sometimes prose and occasionally magazines (Travel & Leisure, The New Yorker, Real Simple). I do this before I check email or wander onto social media (for me, that’s Facebook and Instagram). It’s a small morning routine, but it’s been helping keep my mental health in the green zone and my day starts a little better because of it. 📘 Poetry Books I’m Reading: Beth Ann Fennelly’s The Irish Goodbye (note: these are actually micro-memoir vignettes, but read like poetry—and Beth Ann is one of my favorite poets), Maybe the Body by Asa Drake’s, In This Distance by Brooke Sahni, Monster Galaxy by Cindy Veach, Jessica Walsh’s Blowdown, Christopher Kondrich’s Tread Upon, Is Is Enough by Lauren Camp, Michelle Peñaloza’s All the Words I Can Remember Are Poems. 📙 Prose Books I’ve Recently Read or Am Reading: Jennifer Pastiloff’s Proof of Life (memoir), Digital Minimalism (nonfiction) by Cal Hunter (he also wroe Deep Work, which I also liked), Strangers: A Marriage (memoir) by Belle Burden, Sloane Crosley’s Grief is For People (memoir), and Elizabeth Zaletski’s The Trouble with Loving Poets and Other Essays on Failure. 📕 Poetry Books I’m Looking Forward To With 2026 Pub Dates: Maggie Smith’s A Suit or a Suitcase, Melissa Fite Johnson’s Midlife Abecedarian, Camille Dungy’s America, A Love Story (which I preordered and I should have in 4 days!), Maya C. Popa’s If You Love That Lady, Jennifer Franklin’s A Fire in Her Brain, Another reason I love reading poetry in the morning is that, more often than not, reading others’ poems inspires me to write my own. I have a “daily” poem exchange with a few friends on email this month (we’re calling it “rogue” since we’re not actually required to write every day—so yes, we’re definitely playing fast and loose with the word daily here). But it’s been a reminder to me that writing has always been the one thing when I’m doing it, there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing. And many times, just by showing up, I end up with a draft of a poem. Other times, nothing—or a poem that feels like it was written by a feral raccoon who just discovered he has big feelings. But I’m okay with that, I’m okay with a not-so-great poem. When it comes to poems, I realize I’m less attached to outcome and more attached to the idea of play and process. But as you know, it’s a hard mix these days—to be creative, happy, engaged, and informed without short-circuiting. So I’ve been trying to keep things simple when at home, I reach for the natural world and books (my two comfort animals in tough times) along with daily Biscoff vanilla cream sandwich cookies (sometimes a few or more) and Mighty Leaf Ginger Twist tea at night (no, I am not a sponsor of either of these products, I just somehow became accidentally devoted to both of them recently—some of you will remember my expensive French yogurt kick). Yes, it might sound a little dull (poetry, cookies, tea, the sky, robins, early spring flowers, etc.), but I’m recommitting myself to the small luxuries in life. My other luxuries? Napping and Frans sea-salt caramels, especially now that I am back home for a bit after some whirlwind travel. Speaking of travel, here are a few moments of joy from the last 6 weeks:
So that’s a postcard (or a poetcard) from me, reporting live from this rural seaside community where I live powered mostly by poems, treats, and daily napping (yes, I even nap at work, Two Sylvias Press has a fainting couch I use). Current lifestyle review: 5-stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highly recommend. A bit crumb-covered, cat focused, & slightly over-caffeinated, but would absolutely subscribe again. And I’m curious—what are your small luxuries these days? What’s getting you through, or better yet, what’s delighting you when you least expect it? Anything? Bueller? Bueller? Bueller? Sending peace, love, and virtual snacks, P.S. I know these notes from me slip into your inbox while we’re living through some terrible times, but please remember, you are not alone through it all and know that along with joy, I’ve also felt dread, anger, frustration, rage (oh, don’t even get me started on rage!)—but when I’m not overtired or exhausted or overwhelmed, I try to keep a small light on for us—for you, for me, for whatever comes next. Sending love through it all. 💙
📍Where to find me: Facebook, Instagram, Reading Good News, Stupidly Checking My Amazon Numbers As If They Matter, Learning About the Chestnut-Headed Bee-Eater. This post is public—feel free to share it with a friend, another poet, or any devoted reader. 💕 Thanks for reading Postcards from a Poet, a joyfully unpredictable newsletter with surprisingly good timing and that will always be free.
⭐ Preorder an inscribed & personalized copy of Accidental Devotions from Seattle’s Open Books Poetry-Only Bookstore: www.tinyurl.com/AccidentalDevotions Or order from Bookshop.org: https://tinyurl.com/AccidentalDevotionsBookshopOrg or Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/AccidentalDevotionsAmazon (and then email me at kelli@agodon.com and I’ll send you a signed bookplate) 💙
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Friday, March 20, 2026
Rogue Poems & Reasonable/Unreasonable Amounts of Cookies
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