The seven sections of Stares to Other Places address life’s fundamental issues:  Parts of our past fall away and relationships are healed.  Close friends and loved ones leave this world, leaving us with impressions in the sand and images in our dreams.  Cancer strikes, altering body and soul.  Everyday experiences take on new meanings.  Early life and relationships mold our adult lives.  And we experience love of our mate, children, and grandchildren.  Hirsch’s poems address these themes with clarity and compassion, with wisdom and an open heart.

“Maurice L. Hirsch, Jr., distills, from the ordinary and not so ordinary things and events in his life, extraordinary metaphors, which invite his readers to wander through his poems, with delight and wonderment, and discover in them the beauty and profundity he sees and creates anew. These poems will inspire you with their gentleness, compassion, warmth, and joy.”

Louis Daniel Brodsky, author of Paper-Whites for Lady Jane and Forever, for Now

Maurice L. Hirsch, Jr. began writing poetry after a career in academia.  He received an MBA and Ph.D. in Accounting from Washington University, and taught management accounting at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.  He is the author or coauthor of several books and many journal articles, both in management accounting and in oral and written communication skills.

Hirsch has been a horseman for over thirty years, breeding, training, riding, and showing Paso Fino horses.  He is a board member of The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and Chesterfield Arts, and serves on the City of Chesterfield’s Planning Commission. 

Hirsch and his wife live in Chesterfield, Missouri, with their children and grandchildren nearby.

Breaking the Surface

Bouncing over blue-green water, roaring motor behind us,
We laugh and talk through the wind and spray,
Out to look for whales,

Black and white orcas over thirty miles away,
A long distance to go by boat.  We hope to see them
Break the surface to breathe.

My children lean into the wind, three in front of me,
One by my side...sturdy adults, always my children.
How do they move so fast?

Each was born over thirty years ago,
A long distance to here.  My hopes for them
Break the surface to breathe.

Three children in front of me, one by my side,
Drenched, red coveralls, orange boat, looking for orcas.
Nothing is black and white.  All is color.

Weighting

I stare at a puckered line
Starting at my navel and going south.
My body parts seem to be working.
Restrictions lifted, I muck stalls, ride horses,
Hoist grandchildren in the air.
But every three months
I face another blood test.

The sides of our driveway are now bare,
Old brown trees removed, turned into mulch.
New ones with strong roots,
Green leaves will take their places.
In the field, a yearling jumps, kicks, spins
Goes back to grazing.