G. Donald Cribbs's E-Mail Address: cribbsd@mhs-pa.org
G. Donald's Personal Web Page or Favorite Web Page: http://home.switchboard.com/gdcribbs
Click Here to hear G. Donald's Favorite Song: Beauty for Ashes


G. Donald Cribbs's Profile:
Writing poetry for me has always been about a response to the observations I make about life. Life began pretty tough. A lot of upheaval, a lot to face early. Fortunately, life is also about how we choose to deal with what we are dealt, and I have been very blessed on that side of things. I found a faith in God, who has helped me to overcome the things lacking in my childhood, my family, etc. And, with that, I have found a voice, a writing voice, the voice of a poet. I began writing in high school. A little at first, very cheesy poetry, I must admit. But there had to be substance to it, or else my crackpot teacher, Mr. Hansbarger, would never have encouraged me to continue, to keep writing, until I finally got past the dribble and actually wrote real gutsy poetry. Once that happened, and I showed it to him, he told me that I didn't need his critique to know if it was good, I knew it for myself. I wrote for the literary magazine and won local, regional and state contests. I was published. I entered national contests and received attention from the head of the English Dept. at Princeton. I placed in the top 20 out of over 5500 submissions. They wanted me to apply and go there as a student. I come from a lower low middle class home, raised by a single mom--we were broke. I worked through high school to pay the rent. So, there was no Princeton. Lucky for me, though, or I never would have met my beautiful and incredible wife of four years, Heather. We've been together for a decade. Now, we have a 2 1/2 year old son, Timothy, and are working on number two. Some of my poetry is about that. Eventually, I'll post it here. I met my wife at college. We went to Messiah College in Grantham, PA. Central Pennsylvania. Small Christian Liberal Arts School. A good education, and we were the first in our families to attend and graduate college. I got a BA in English and Education with a minor in Theater and an unofficial Bible Minor (hey, they don't count Bible Greek, go figure!). We both spent a year in China teaching English as a Second Language to college students over there. I also went back for a summer. Then we had enough of being on the opposite sides of the earth (2 1/2 years...) and we got engaged and married. Now we are houseparents at the Milton Hershey School. We are a K-12 residential school for underprivileged children, built on the chocolate bar legacy of Milton and Catherine Hershey, who couldn't have children, and who took care of orphaned boys (girls were taken in by someone) and helped them rise above their disadvantages. Six billion dollars later, the school lives on as a legacy to their love and to their beneficiaries, the students. We live our job, we give up a lot, but we love it. If you're interested in this, just email me for more details. In college, I read Robert Bly, Mary Oliver (I went to a poetry reading of hers, and got two books autographed including her Pulitzer!), James Wright, Rainer Maria Rilke (German poet who wrote Letters to a Young Poet), Jelaluddin Rumi (12th century Sufi Poet), Julia Kasdorf (a professor of mine), Lorca, Jiminez, Neruda, and all the typical textbook poets. I am currently applying to graduate school (have been rejected by one thus far) to begin a Masters Degree in Fine Arts--Poetry. No, I don't plan on being turned into a drone, a copy of other poets, but I do hope to grow as a writer, reach levels I can't reach by self teaching, by which most of us grow. I think this website will be a good step in the direction of preparation, getting ready to move farther, say more, get my voice perfected, and push on towards my two goals: 1. Significance. To have something to say and to say it clearly and to the best of my ability to the world, in a way that changes the world for the better. 2. The Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. I know, shooting for the moon, you say? Well, if I don't aim high, I'll only reach low. So, I'm aiming high and seeking to become a true poet along the way. The Pulitzer is a prize, don't get me wrong, but it's not really about that...it's about the recognition and acceptance by other poets in the field, my peers, telling me that yes, indeed, I am a poet, and one who has impacted the voice, the shape of what poets do, spoke to the masses, and they heard me out. Well, that's enough rambling. If you want to know more, critique my poetry, read it, say something about it, spur me on to become better, or write me a friggin email why don't you? Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope my critiques of your poetry helps. I know they help me. Warm Regards, Don

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Below you will see ALL of the Poems that G. Donald Cribbs has published on The Poetic Link.
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Poetry Contests Online at The Poetic Link

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Displaying Poems 1 to 21 out of 21 Total Poems.

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Worms in the Summer Grass

8

2004-07-05 16:08:53
Wick of Christ

5

2004-07-07 22:56:41
What is Rooted We Revisit in Sleep

7

2004-04-16 08:52:39
Tree Forting

8

2004-06-08 22:08:05
The Scar the Wing Leaves

16

2004-05-12 11:01:34
The Helpmeet

6

2004-08-09 21:11:06
The Grief of the Return

4

2004-07-11 20:57:31
The Ephod

6

2004-08-10 09:18:58
The Dust of Worms

5

2004-06-14 11:35:34
The Death of a Poet

7

2004-05-11 22:04:51
The Boy Who Played with Barbie

8

2004-05-11 21:59:33
The Argument

4

2006-08-23 14:10:41
Phaedrus Throws Stones

5

2004-06-09 19:29:16
Maundy Thursday

7

2004-08-10 09:15:09
Light and Darkness

3

2006-08-23 14:11:41
Jing Ye Si (A Quiet Evening) Chinese Translation

7

2004-07-05 16:02:31
Hacking Chestnuts

7

2004-06-11 08:35:39
Conception

7

2004-08-09 21:08:36
Above the Well

7

2004-05-20 13:39:32
A Round of Poetry

3

2006-08-21 20:31:42
A Fish Out of Water

5

2004-07-07 08:47:48
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Displaying Poems 1 to 21 out of 21 Total Poems.

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