jamesbriankerrJul 7, 20213 minLet Me Sit in the Woods: A New PoemAs published in Short Story Town https://www.shortstorytown.com/ Let Me Sit in the Woods i Let me sit in the woods and stare at trees....
jamesbriankerrJun 18, 20214 minSix Things I’ve Learned in My Past Two Years Without My FatherNearly two years after my father shrugged off this mortal coil and turned into a butterfly, I am left with a hole where a holiday used to...
jamesbriankerrJun 15, 202119 minMy Father’s Last Garden The Seeds a Good Father Plants in His Children Bloom Long After He’s Gone The weekend before Father’s Day in 2019, my brother and I...
jamesbriankerrApr 29, 20213 min“Hope Is the Thing with Feathers”: Reflections on Resilience A Year Into COVID Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the words, And never stops at all. - Emily Dickinson...
jamesbriankerrApr 18, 20214 minLessons in Mindfulness: Am I Walking the Dog or Walking the Smartphone?One of the many benefits of owning a dog is the way they hold up a mirror to our human foibles and help us become more aware, awake and...
jamesbriankerrMar 20, 20213 minThe Angel, the Raven, and the Poison of Self-DoubtDo you have an ugly raven that sits on your shoulder and whispers sweet nothings of negativity and self-doubt into your ear? Has that...
jamesbriankerrFeb 13, 20214 minThe Child Is Father of the Man. Don’t Let Him Die.“My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky: So it was when my life began; So it is now that I am a man; So be it when I shall...
jamesbriankerrFeb 7, 20211 minTabula Rasa: A Poem to ChildhoodI’d been reading Locke in my room, trying to sense of it for a paper due, when suddenly the day went dark and a distant rumble drew my...
jamesbriankerrJan 16, 20212 minNew Poems: "Summer Swallows," "August," "Tabula Rasa"Three of my poems are included in The Poet's Winter 2020 "Childhood" anthology. Here they are: Summer Swallows When the sickle has...
jamesbriankerrJan 2, 20216 minJimmy, Come Out and Play: Releasing Your Inner Child for a Lighter, Happier 2021My new year’s resolution for 2021 is a simple one, although it’s going to take a little work and lots of daily reminders to put it in...
jamesbriankerrNov 20, 20205 minThanksgiving, COVID-Style: Giving Thanks in the Year That Wasn’tIt’s Thanksgiving next week and I, for one, am not feeling particularly in the holiday spirit. I come from a large family and normally we...
jamesbriankerrAug 5, 20203 minNote to Self: Today I Will Not Talk Poorly of YouDear Self, First, an apology. Yesterday I said some pretty mean things to you. It was Monday and I don’t particularly like Mondays, and...
jamesbriankerrJun 20, 20204 minLet’s Take a Moment to Thank all the Good Dads out There.Published: Elephant Journal June 20, 2020 You’re not rich. You’re not famous. They don’t see you on television or read about you in their...
jamesbriankerrApr 18, 20204 minGetting to Equanimity I was driving to the grocery store the other day and made the mistake of pulling in front of someone who apparently thought she owned the...
jamesbriankerrMar 31, 20205 minWe are Battling Two Enemies & only One of them is a Virus.These are dark days for humankind. Published: Elephant Journal March 31, 2020 A dreaded virus has been let out of the bottle and creeps...
jamesbriankerrFeb 2, 20206 minWrestling with my (Dying) Father: Lessons on Fatherhood from a Hospice Bed.Published: Elephant Journal February 2, 2020 It was the longest night of my life. A night filled with surreal and phantasmagorical...
jamesbriankerrJan 14, 20204 min“What if he’s Turning into a Butterfly?”—Thoughts on Grief as I Witnessed my Father’s Passing.Published: Elephant Journal January 14, 2020 I sat by my father’s deathbed watching him labor for breath, wondering which one would be...
jamesbriankerrDec 23, 20193 minHow Losing a Parent Changes You for the Holidays.Published: Elephant Journal December 23, 2019 It’s your first holiday since losing a parent—and everything is the same and yet different....
jamesbriankerrJun 16, 20194 minLetting Go of Painful EmotionsForty years of dealing with intense and at times turbulent emotions have taught me the importance of letting go. I have a Hamlet mind....
jamesbriankerrApr 13, 20191 minWatching the Train of TroublesI sit this morning during my meditation watching the train of troubles pass by. Worries about my kids. My parents. My job. Things I need...