I’ve been thinking a lot today about Frank Anthony, an important mentor in my life.  He was a very accomplished poet and writer, inventing the modern BRIK form of poetry.  For several years, we corresponded with each other, exchanging poems and ideas and also serving as editors and sounding boards for one another.  He had served our country in the military and was very proud of that fact, but he was also deeply troubled by the war in Iraq. 

In remembering him today, I wrote a poem about him, using the form he created.  The BRIK is a short 13 line poem where each line is 22 characters across.  When written in the courier font, it forms a perfect geometric rectangle. 

Today’s work is for my dear friend, Frank Anthony, 1922-2006.  Happy Veteran’s Day.

Frank, Builder of Words

What we had built alone
and then together was a
shelter of words placed
on the solid foundation
of ideas of convictions
coupling optimism along
with the tragedy of our
shared generation. Your
eyes were wise with age
Mine betrayed hope of a
misspent innocence that
you helped me hone into
a vision of my very own