Personalized Poems

Whether you want to commemorate a special occasion or honor a loved one, a custom poem is a meaningful keepsake. It's my honor and joy to apply my poetry skills, intuition, and empathy to capture the essence of a person or occasion.

Poetry is the thing we turn to for momentous occasions — weddings, celebrations of life, presidential inaugurations, even the Olympic games! But they can also be enjoyed for more private reasons. Here are a few examples:

• Weddings, anniversaries, and vow renewals
• Birthdays and graduations
• A celebration of life or memorial
• To commemorate a beloved pet
• Mother’s or Father’s Day
• A thank you gift for a partner, sibling, adult child, best friend, or mentor
• And more—I'm happy to discuss your unique occasion and vision! 

1. Intake: I'll schedule a 60-minute meeting for us to discuss your poem and timeline. I'll then follow up in a day or two with a quote.
2. Once you approve the quote, I’ll get started on your poem, and send a proof via email by the deadline (typically one to two weeks).
3. Approval/revisions: Need some minor edits? Up to two rounds of revisions are included in the original quote. 
4. Delivery: I'll email your final poem as a PDF and mail you a copy printed on high quality paper.

My custom poems start at $149*. Each unique, personalized poem is crafted with love and comes with my guarantee that you'll be 100% satisfied.  

It starts with a one-hour meeting to discuss what you're looking for. I ask questions and listen deeply to fully understand you, your recipient, and your unique circumstances.

Most poems are a half to full page. While I typically write in free verse in an accessible, informal style, I'm happy to work in a specific voice or poetic form, such as a sonnet or haibun, if you'd like.

*Quotes are based on category, length, time frame, and other factors.

Poetry has been a source of joy, comfort, challenge, and endless mystery since I penned my first awkward verse at age 13. I’m continually amazed by its power and nuance—how it connects us and expresses thoughts, memories, and feelings in a way no other forms of writing can do.

Over the years, I’ve honed my craft in critique groups and workshops, and I have been published in many journals and anthologies. I'm currently working on a chapbook manuscript.

Kelly composed the poem, "Noble, Brilliant, Kind" to commemorate Bruce. Those were three words I often used to describe my husband. Although these words might seem unrealistic and glorifying, it was generally known in our community that they were apt descriptions for Bruce. It warmed my heart to see those words as the title of this beautiful poem.

As it happens, Bruce and I had talked together about nature, and particularly trees with falling leaves, as offering a metaphor for the continuity of birth and death, which is the reason we planned to feed our apple tree with his ashes.  . . . This theme of continuity was beautifully reflected in the images of Kelly’s poem. The references to the “sky as always blue,” and ”a frosted moon that is only briefly eclipsed, an irrevocable light” especially move me, even now, three years after Bruce’s death.

—Debra Harrow, Artist