Robert Charles Howard
Robert Charles Howard Poems
Above the caldera at Yellowstone,
a brittle soilrock crust
caps a lake of liquid fire
with only fumaroles of acrid steam
...
Robin hums as she tends her garden
while birds perch all around
waiting for rustling seeds
to fill the slender columns.
...
Narcissus leaned forward
to better view his matchless beauty
and tumbled to watery doom.
...
Richard strained his eyes
and watched his deliverer
merge into misty shadows.
Never would he know
...
Decked out in chiffon and lace
young Ella, named after mom,
never felt so grown,
rushing to mother’s call -
...
She wove a silken tapestry
in the calm still of a moonlit night
spinnerets spewing slender strands -
light as air but strong as Kevlar.
...
When the arc of the hands of his watch
Reached the top of the hour
Sam pushed the throttle forward.
...
Imagine a Human Family picnic
where everyone shows:
from every sect and hue and nation
gathered at a common table.
...
The phone rang after 2: 00 am.
Taking the steps in pairs
my legs faltered at his door -
paralyzed by denial.
...
A giant pendulum in the cosmos swings
and galactic pinwheels circle in the aether.
The vernal equinox brings fairer weather
as gentle rains sire life's new springings.
...
A shivering ball of fear
wrapped in a crust of pride
too thick for sharpest arrows
huddles alone but well protected.
...
Our footsteps echo through ancient halls,
where here is everywhere
and every time is now.
...
I’d jump at the chance to ride shotgun
on Henry’s medicine wagon
rolling from city to village
hawking 'Stickin’ Salve' and 'Oil of Gladness'.
...
The Gods are money sound these days.
and priests have marketing degrees -
The faithful, called to worship
by giant plasma screens,
...
A graceful water weaving dolphin
swirls wakes of gentle waves -
a white, silver blue phantom
shimmering in the noonday sun.
...
Snowfall gently covered Belleville
With a blanket of softest down –
Iridescent in the gaslight coronas.
...
A bridge is a curious thing to cover.
mile after mile of naked road -
then a wooden box over stream or ravine.
...
The Brick Church Road leads to Friedens
where yesterday and today
wooden carts and steel wagons,
powered by equine legs or fiery pistons,
...
Robert Charles Howard Biography
I try to keep the rust away by being an active composer and have been the conductor of the Belleville Philharmonic Orchestra in Belleville IL since 1995 and of the Belleville Philharmonic Chorale since 2001. I have recently published a book of poems called Unity Tree which is available from Amazon.com. I am a member of the League of American Orchestras and the Colorado Poetry Center. I was recently commissioned to compose a cantata called Wilderness Reflections for the centennial of Rocky Mountain National Park by the Oratorio Society of Estes Park that was premiered in June 2015. My compositions have been been performed by many professional, community, college and high school ensembles in Missouri, Illinois and other parts of the country. Six of the vocal texts are poems by Wendell berry and I wrote three of the vocal texts. I composed a Christmas cantata entitled, Radiance of the Light that was premiered by the Belleville Philharmonic Chorale and Orchestra in December,2007 and my Piano Sonata was premiered by Michael McElvain in April,2008. A video of my piano sonata can be viewed at YouTube: First movement http: //youtube.com/watch? v=G_eYeqZyny4 Second movement http: //youtube.com/watch? v=4vA-LN9nw9g Third movement http: //youtube.com/watch? v=N6OYnYCF-mk&feature=related Here is a link to a Belleville Philharmonic Chorale and Orchestra performance of a new choral work by Charles DuMontier called Into this World: http: //www.youtube.com/watch? v=Tq92sHhGb-A Meditation for oboe d'amore, harp and strings was premiered in Loja, Ecuador by John Walker, soloist with the Orquestra Sinfonica de Loja on Friday, June 20th,2008 with Winfried Mitterer, conducting. Poetry and story writing are a relatively new activities for me. Many of the poems posted relate directly to musical compositions. Two of the poems posted on this site, Eagles on the Mississippi and Ice Storm 2006 have been published by Straight Up Magazine. Five poems are included in the Oh What a Tangled Web edited by Elysabeth Falsund and Richard Brotbeck. For a general listing of my activities, please visit my web site at: I reside in Belleville IL with my wife Robin and our Golden Retriever and Shelty mix, Hannah.)
The Best Poem Of Robert Charles Howard
Sacred Calderas
Above the caldera at Yellowstone,
a brittle soilrock crust
caps a lake of liquid fire
with only fumaroles of acrid steam
and spewing geysers
to slake its upward thrust.
False steps by men or creatures
breach that fragile mantle
plummeting errant ones to
scalding pain or death.
Within us all calderas also roil
brewed of failures, slights and fears -
dissolved in fiery pools
of self-consuming miseries.
Counter to that molten force
we form our culture crust
of forgiveness, love and justice.
With music, art and friendship,
we plant fragrant gardens in our souls
and load our trowels with psychic mortar
to seal the calderas of our discontents.
July, 2006
Robert Charles Howard Comments
Love this man very much.He is very kind, and very supportive when my piece, A PRAYER, was set into music by Stephen Paulus.Take care of you, Sir Robert.God bless you
Robert Charles Howard, I can't express in mere words my admiration...
Robert Howard's work is an inspiration. His series involving Thomas Jefferson and the 'Lewis and Clark expedition' will fascinate not only those who have aquired extensive knowledge in American history, but also to those who have not yet been quite so engaged, enchanting the reader to their own path of discovery. Robert has created a series of poetic knowledge that I hope will make its way into every history text book.
Robert Charles Howard is an erudite poet, whose musical and intellectual sensibilities continue to astound. With humor, wit and wisdom he guides the poetic community by example. His only lack seems to be cynicism, but others may supply that.
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6/17/2024 1:46:08 AM # 1.0.0.1119
It is evident when you read Robert’s pieces that he as had a rich background in music. Presenting his motifs in a narrative orchestration – as if he’s configured them into scenes and acts, he tells you stories. Enjoy.