Gary C. Sterling
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garycsterling.bsky.social
Gary C. Sterling
@garycsterling.bsky.social
12 followers 5 following 450 posts
Writer / Poet

Lots more at https://sterlingbooks.org!
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garycsterling.bsky.social
Now we know. The strong, clear, rich, flexible voice that has been described as “mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced.” The great Kiri Te Kanawa sang Handel’s “Let the Bright Seraphim” and…

https://sterlingbooks.org/essay/who-is-this-kiwi/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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January 6, 2026 at 7:57 PM
garycsterling.bsky.social
I’m just a high school English teacher, though,” I added modestly, “there was that time not so long ago when I was The Voice of God.”

“We want you to read “The Creation” by James Weldon Johnson.”

I…

https://sterlingbooks.org/story/the-voice-of-god/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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January 5, 2026 at 7:58 PM
garycsterling.bsky.social
Q & A.

Why should I believe you?

You shouldn’t.

Then why am I talking to you?

You’re not.

https://sterlingbooks.org/squib/overheard-2/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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January 4, 2026 at 6:32 PM
garycsterling.bsky.social
Some guns are mental, just like the finger gun we used to point at each other, sometimes just one finger, but two fingers made it look more gun, and we’d go “Bang!” and fall over on the floor and adults…

https://sterlingbooks.org/story/i-have-a-gun/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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January 3, 2026 at 8:46 PM
garycsterling.bsky.social
Setting the record straight. Cartoon “cute.” I don’t want to see my beloved characters presented that way. Chubby grins, and too much emphasis on hairy feet.

https://sterlingbooks.org/story/when-bakshi-killed-the-hobbit/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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January 2, 2026 at 9:19 PM
garycsterling.bsky.social
A high school senior came up to me with overwhelming eagerness. “Mr. Sterling! Mr. Sterling! You gotta go downtown to Colorado Boulevard and Fair Oaks! There are people sleeping on the street!”

It…

https://sterlingbooks.org/story/homeless-in-pasadena/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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January 1, 2026 at 8:35 PM
garycsterling.bsky.social
Get it right. Strike while the iron is hot or douse it in cold water but don’t just sit there while the metal cools and hardens into the present.

https://sterlingbooks.org/poetry/strike-while-the-iron/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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December 31, 2025 at 6:52 PM
garycsterling.bsky.social
We pretended to build a Wall in bits and pieces but that didn't work. We screen applicants and then throw our own citizens to the wolves. It's a border of the mind. All those borders!

https://sterlingbooks.org/essay/borders/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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December 30, 2025 at 6:54 PM
garycsterling.bsky.social
I looked across the table at the girl
I thought I’d give a whirl
to see if we were both sympatic.

Yes.

https://sterlingbooks.org/poetry/in-common/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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December 29, 2025 at 7:33 PM
garycsterling.bsky.social
Covers all the basic bases and gives me what I choose,
SciFi on the tele
Radio has news
Food is in my belly
and the neighbor pays my dues

https://sterlingbooks.org/poetry/the-good-life/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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December 28, 2025 at 7:53 PM
garycsterling.bsky.social
We can do it. We have everything we need to let nature flow and slake a thirsty world.

https://sterlingbooks.org/poetry/controlled-release/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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December 27, 2025 at 8:22 PM
garycsterling.bsky.social
Remembering a vacation in Tacoma when the whole family was engaged in writing during a long rain storm.

https://sterlingbooks.org/poetry/writers-colony/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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December 26, 2025 at 6:06 PM
garycsterling.bsky.social
The old chants were Gregorian
Now we meet
them on the street
and wave at a Delorean

https://sterlingbooks.org/poetry/squibs-of-the-day/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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December 25, 2025 at 8:18 PM
garycsterling.bsky.social
This time of year, there are colorful spots on everything! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, all!

https://sterlingbooks.org/poetry/house-measles/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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December 24, 2025 at 8:01 PM
garycsterling.bsky.social
Shirley and I loved the season as we loved each other. We joked, as our gift to each other, we could wrap ourselves, put a bow on, and snuggle as presents under the tree.

https://sterlingbooks.org/story/christmas-music-and-movies/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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December 23, 2025 at 8:21 PM
garycsterling.bsky.social
While Pasadena has long been known for roses, Altadena's flower is if the Golden Poppy, the California state flower. Altadena, where golden poppies grow.

https://sterlingbooks.org/poetry/in-highlands-fields/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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December 22, 2025 at 8:56 PM
garycsterling.bsky.social
Still kicking at 84. In December, Dylan announced dates of the 2026 edition of his “Rough and Rowdy Ways” tour with 27 U.S. concerts, commencing in Omaha, Nebraska, on March 21 and finishing in Abilene, Texas,…

https://sterlingbooks.org/poetry/bob-dylan/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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December 21, 2025 at 7:38 PM
garycsterling.bsky.social
We’d cut out the egg pouches, glue them into a coherent shape, then paint glue sprinkled with glitter. We were thrilled by their loveliness.

https://sterlingbooks.org/story/and-presents-under-the-tree/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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December 20, 2025 at 6:22 PM
garycsterling.bsky.social
I looked at the microwave as I took out my re-warmed cup of coffee before putting in the milk and taking to the table by the computer.

https://sterlingbooks.org/story/more-about-the-microwave/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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December 19, 2025 at 8:03 PM
garycsterling.bsky.social
Shirley's poem about night and life.

https://sterlingbooks.org/poetry/night/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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December 18, 2025 at 7:00 PM
garycsterling.bsky.social
At the holiday season, everybody is in a good mood. People load their carts with cultural variants because Costco carries the fixings for many traditions.

https://sterlingbooks.org/story/costco-christmas/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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December 17, 2025 at 8:41 PM
garycsterling.bsky.social
When I was young and our family didn’t have much money, we still went to the movies, partly because we didn’t have a television. You could get in for a quarter. Then you bought popcorn. I think they used to…

https://sterlingbooks.org/story/movie-popcorn/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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December 16, 2025 at 9:01 PM
garycsterling.bsky.social
Among my many brushes with greatness, I remember with special fondness George London near the end of his life.

https://sterlingbooks.org/story/the-great-george-london/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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December 15, 2025 at 6:57 PM
garycsterling.bsky.social
Not just seasonal. Christmas is a time for love. Universal. A time to feel it, acknowledge it, say it.

https://sterlingbooks.org/poetry/christmas-is-a-time/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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December 14, 2025 at 7:18 PM
garycsterling.bsky.social
I was a frameman. The main frame was very tall, and we had to use ladders to get to the top. For the connections at the very top, you had to stand on the ladder, keep your balance, crouch under the roof and reach…

https://sterlingbooks.org/story/373/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social
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December 13, 2025 at 6:27 PM