Kimberly O'Connor

writer & teacher

Category: Uncategorized

  • Shelter in Place Poem, Day 2

    “Shelter in place” was the name of a particular drill at the West Virginia high school where I taught sophomores literature and grammar in 2002, where Sammie who wore her hair in pigtails like a little girl once outlined her desk in Elmer’s glue, paying particular attention to filling in…

  • Shelter in Place Poem, Day 1

    I decided to write a long poem, a section or so each day, for the duration of Colorado’s shelter in place, which will last at least through April 11. Here’s day one. COVOD-19, 2020 If you are reading this, you are so far a survivor, not only of the obvious…

  • Pushcart Prize Nomination from Cagibi!

    I am thrilled to share that Cagibi nominated “My American Childhood in Reverse” for a Pushcart Prize! Read the announcement here. I am unbelievably honored that it was nominated alongside such other wonderful poems and authors. And this is what a Pushcart Prize is. I am not sure when they…

  • My American Childhood in Reverse

    Read it now at Cagibi!

  • The Angel of Death Comes to the Playground

    March 19, 2018 We are locked out of the playground because this morning a man so young he books like a boy escaped from Denver Health and the boy may or may not have murdered another man yesterday so the boy was wearing handcuffs and his legs were bound in…

  • from Virginia Woolf’s “A Room of One’s Own”

    I’m posting a series of poems and excerpts from poems and essay that I love. Today’s is from Virginia Woolf’s “A Room of One’s Own.” This except encourages me to keep writing “through obscurity.” from Virginia Woolf’s “A Room of One’s Own” … if we face the fact, for it…

  • John Wilde’s Happy, Crazy, American Animals and a Man and Lady at My Place.

    I’m posting a series of poems and excerpts from poems and essay that I love. But today’s is a painting! It’s John Wilde’s Happy, Crazy, American Animals and a Man and Lady at My Place. This is the feeling I am going for in my best poems. John Wilde, Happy, Crazy,…

  • Ruth Stone’s “Train Ride”

    I’m posting a series of poems and excerpts from poems and essay that I love. Today’s is Ruth Stone’s “Train Ride.” This is one of the few poems I have memorized. Its duality is outside of reality to me, in a magical and reassuring way. It’s what I want all…

  • Yannis Ritsos’s “January 21”

    I’m posting a series of poems and excerpts from poems and essay that I love. Today’s is Yannis Ritsos’s “January 21.” Oh, to have written that last image.   January 21   A cessation. You’re not searching. How nice it is tonight. Two birds fell asleep in your pocket.  …

  • John Brehm’s The Poetry of Mindfulness, Impermanence and Joy

    I’m posting a series of poems and excerpts from poems and essay that I love. But today’s is a book recommendation: John Brehm’s anthology The Poetry of Mindfulness, Impermanence and Joy. This is the perfect last-minute gift for any reader on your list, or anyone who might enjoy some beautiful…