Category Archives: Poetry

The answer to everything

Posted on June 13, 2020 by Dale Hobson

Life is full of complicated questions, seemingly impervious to solution, no matter how you clench the jaw or chew the pillow. The mind backs up like bad plumbing. Everything starts to smell a little funky. Luckily for us, every now … Continue reading →

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Snow Day

Posted on February 8, 2020 by Dale Hobson

I remember how eagerly I used to listen for the school closings on WPDM when I was a kid. Will it be a snow day? I think my father, being a teacher, listened with similar anticipation. A snow day was … Continue reading →

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Moon walks and man shoes

Posted on July 20, 2019 by Dale Hobson

Everyone old enough to remember where they were when the first humans landed on the moon does remember. I was 15 that summer and on a grand tour of the national parks out West with my family. Our campsite was … Continue reading →

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Late spring complaint

Posted on May 5, 2019 by Dale Hobson

I’ve held up through many a North Country winter and this one was no worse than many, and better than some. But by May, I expect my just recompense: blossoms, birdsong, sunshine. To misquote the legal maxim, “spring delayed is … Continue reading →

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A change in the weather

Posted on November 10, 2018 by Dale Hobson

At first glance, the North Country does not look its best in November. For those who do not fly with the geese, it means looking a little harder to find the sustaining beauty that rewards any kind of weather. After … Continue reading →

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Why women invented beer

Posted on September 15, 2018 by Dale Hobson

Yesterday an article in the Food and Drink section of Huffington Post caught my eye: “According To History, We Can Thank Women For Beer.” It details the role of women in the invention and development of brewing going back at … Continue reading →

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Another old poet has died

Posted on June 26, 2018 by Dale Hobson

The poet Donald Hall died this week. Never say he “passed away;” he loathed euphemism. Though we never met except as a reader does, upon the page, I felt a kindred spirit at work in him. Being the age of … Continue reading →

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The harbinger

Posted on May 12, 2018 by Dale Hobson

In May of 2015, I wrote these words in the Listening Post: “Whenever I see a trillium, I want to stop and breathe, to do nothing but be in the presence. And then I want to write a poem; I … Continue reading →

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Twenty-five below

Posted on January 6, 2018 by Dale Hobson

Calling it cold doesn’t quite cover it. One more night into the double-digits below zero and then finally the temperatures will start to go back up. It’s been a long time to just call it a “snap.” Mostly, folks just … Continue reading →

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Leaving for work in November

Posted on November 4, 2017 by Dale Hobson

Whether you love your work or not, it can be hard to get started some days. And never more than during the dimmer  months of the year. I can only conclude that that’s why God made coffee. Leaving for work in November … Continue reading →

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