Dragonfly

About the Book

All the poems in Dragonfly have been previously published, most in the Sixties and early Seventies.  They all come from that period in his life when he was experimenting with language and form, learning what it means to be married and have children, and making the transition from student to employee.  Several of these poems he considers to be among his most elegant.  The images are drawn from nature, literature, current events, and daily life.  Each poem, as a result, is a distilled story that if you are willing to make the effort you can begin to reconstruct.

About the Author

Mr. Carlson has been writing poetry for 50 years.  His aim has been to create poems in which emotions are honest, descriptions accurate, images evocative, and language accessible.  Some of his poems are long and dense; others short and spare.  They are by turns powerful and delicate, thought provoking and playful, solemn and funny.  Sharing his experiences, observations, and thoughts as a son, student, brother, lover, father and friend will call up your own experiences, observations and thoughts.  Written aloud, they should be read aloud to be fully enjoyed.  The words are to be felt on the tongue.

Born the son of missionaries in Sierra Leone, West Africa, Mr. Carlson currently lives with his wife and dog in Alexandria, Virginia.  He has lived previously in Indiana, California, Oregon, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Colorado and Utah.  He is a retired federal official who has also worked at the state and local level.  He  has degrees from Wabash College and Yale University.