Two Mirrors
A Poem from Empires of the Self & The Cosmology of Stephen Miller
I just have a couple of short poems today and a small gallery of the trees of Brookside Gardens.
From Empires of the Self—the First of Many Mirrors
In Persian our child protagonist catches a glimpse of himself in the first of many mirrors. Even at a very young age, the mystery of time is present.
This video comes from the third poem from my new chapbook, Empires of the Self. Think of all the mirrors we look into over a lifetime. It may be something akin to the way the Persian Empire has stood in reflection, first to the ancient Greeks and now as we go to war in that area of the world again.
The Cosmology of Stephen Miller
Back in January, White House Deputy, Stephen Miller gave this now infamous quote on CNN: “But we live in a world, in the real world … that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world since the beginning of time.” These are the words of barbarism—that might makes right. It’s an idea reflected in the administration’s increasingly cruel actions both here and abroad. It holds up a mirror to the kind of nation these leaders would have us become.
The Cosmology of Stephen Miller, unpacks this dark philosophy using the bracketing form I first developed years ago in my poem, It Does Kind of Burn Goodbye.
Early Spring at Brookside Gardens
On a cold and drizzly day last week, I walked the nearly empty paths of Brookside Gardens in Montgomery County. All the light and color of these trees were still in the early stages of their struggle to let us know spring is finally here.
Before we go…
Monday Night - Cafe Muse at the Writer’s Center and on Zoom will feature Holly Karapetkova & Steven Leyva. Two weeks ago we featured a poem by Steven Leyva and here is Holly Karapetkova’s memorable guest appearance on Grace Cavalieri’s Poet and the Poem. See below for more details.
Bonnie Naradzay - We have featured Naradzay in conversation with David Keplinger. Her book was just selected First Finalist in the 2026 PSV North American Poetry Book Award. Here she is in conversation with Jeffrey Higgins.
Coming Up
Monday, April 6, 2026, 7:00, Café Muse will feature poets Holly Karapetkova & Steven Leyva at The Writer's Center, 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD or online in Zoom by registering at the Café Muse website.
Saturday, April 18, 2-4 pm, at the HUB, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, Voice as a Bridge: Multicultural Poems and Songs
Have a reading or event coming up? Let me know and I’ll pass it along. And as always, feel free to email me with questions or comments at henrycrawfordpoetry@gmail.com. Use the subject “Coming Up” Stay creative!
If you’d like me to list an upcoming poetry event in Everyday Poet, please let me know by emailing me at henrycrawfordpoetry@gmail.com. Use the subject: “Coming Up”.