Robert C. Murray's Blog, page 7

Episode 032: Avocado (dis)Information

Well, y'all seem to like it when I dig into the absurdity archive, so I pulled out one of my favorites from one of the weirder corners of my brain. I mean, it's been out in the world for about 8 years now, but it's probably new to you. That's right, this week it's "Avocado (dis)Information". See if you can spot the chemistry pun.

I want to hear what you think of the podcast, whether it's a specific poem or the format, or whatever's on your mind! Leave a review or a comment in your podcast app, o...

Episode 031: Thanks to English Teachers

This episode drops on American Thanksgiving, and as I'm in a thankful mood I chose "Thanks to English Teachers" for this week's poem, inspired by both those who taught me and my wife, who is herself an amazing and talented English teacher. For them, for her, I am thankful!

I want to hear what you think of the podcast, whether it's a specific poem or the format, or whatever's on your mind! Leave a review or a comment in your podcast app, or catch me on Twitter @Lefthandrob.

After listening to the...

Episode 030: Capital Improvement

I had originally meant to read this poem last week, but as I said then the events of the weekend had moved me to write some new poems, and they were very much of the moment. Hopefully they hold up over time as much as this one has - in my opinion. You may or may not have been paying attention to the back and forth of the 2012 election back when it was happening, but I was, and a slice of that moment worked its way into that poem, dreamt up on a morning's commute, back when I spent so many hours ...

Episode 029: Victory & Quiz Show Guru

I had originally planned to program one of my more politically-minded poems that I had already published in one of my collections (Blue.), but over the weekend I was moved by current events to share a pair of poems on my Instagram story. If you follow me there, you've likely already read them. If not, hey, I'm on Instagram, posting photos that I write brief poems about (LeftHandRob).

So this week you get another two-for: "Victory," a piece celebrating the win for President-Elect Joe Biden and Vi...

Episode 028: Palm Trees in the Fall Just Don't Cut It

We're well into the Fall season here on the East Coast, and as I was searching for this week's poem, I happened on this piece, which I wrote while on a visit to Los Angeles a few years back. Think of it as something of an elegy for both deciduous trees and man's hubris.

I want to hear what you think of the podcast, whether it's a specific poem or the format, or whatever's on your mind! Leave a review or a comment in your podcast app, or catch me on Twitter @Lefthandrob.

After listening to the po...

Episode 027: Soon ... A Poem for All Hallow's Eve

It's the Halloween season, and though most of us in the US are in lockdown/self-isolation/quarantine this year, that doesn't mean we can't enjoy a little seasonal content. With that in mind, this week I bring you "Soon ... A Poem for All Hallow's Eve." Based on something that actually happened to me and then filtered through my fertile imagination, "Soon ..." tells a tale of a non-fatal encounter with Death.

I want to hear what you think of the podcast, whether it's a specific poem or the format...

BOOK EXCERPT: Krakken and Phoenix: vol. II of the Titan Run Trilogy

The following is an excerpt from "Krakken and Phoenix: vol. II of the Titan Run Trilogy," currently available for Kindle eBook PreOrder, available in Paperback from Amazon on November 1, 2020.

 002 | PHOENIX

 

Months into her shakedown cruise near Martian space the pride of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Explorers’ fleet, the BPOE Phoenix, glided silently through the night, all systems humming. One of the perks of having remained so close to home base for their shakedown cruise was the regu...

Episode 026: Phobos

We're approaching Halloween and so I turn from my weeks of earnestness into something a bit more ... spooky? Not that last week's episode didn't have shades of spookiness, what with all the ghosts of the past haunting those words. But this week we mix together my two written creative loves: Poetry and Science Fiction. "Phobos" is the experience of someone approaching that larger moon of Mars for the first time, about to set foot on an alien world.

I want to hear what you think of the podcast, wh...

Episode 025: And I Will Then Be Ashes

After a smattering of absurdity, I've been choosing poems that are, in a word, earnest. This week's selection is no different. From Regret and Opportunity, this episode is the poem "And I Will Then Be Ashes." Though earnest, it takes a turn for what I hope is inspirational, which is something that I have a feeling a lot of us can use. So, stick with me on this brief journey, let me set the table so that I can reveal my true thoughts as we wind our way through to the end.

I'd love to hear what yo...

Episode 024: Golden Leaves, Common Verdance

A quiet moment as I remember watching some trees from my office window when I worked in Washington, DC. "Golden Leaves, Common Verdance" tells the story of this time of year when the leaves change from green to an earthy rainbow of hues and then cascade to the ground, leaving nothing but slender branches moving in the wind.

Hey, I'd love to hear what you think of the podcast, whether it's a specific poem or the format, or whatever's on your mind! Leave a review or a comment in your podcast app, ...