Ronald Shields Biography

Cold and dark in the morning
talk comes with a price
it is a bargain for the waitress
and diners get what they need.
...

He is Hank to anyone who knows.
When he drinks it is just enough to
release something bright, alive (his soul?) ,
or stifle something dark, putrid (his soul?) .
...

The snow teaches me separateness,
the ice to be hard.
Though I was born in the desert,
where the teachers are sand and rocks,
...

You are a master of suspense
Hitchcockian so to speak.
The air is thick with confusion
I don't know whether to breathe in or out.
...

Going down to the river in ivory robes
seeking sacraments
and the white heat of some amazing grace.
The Ghost is circling the congregation
...