Raymond A. Foss’s Life
Raymond A. Foss was born on April 1, 1960 in Westfield, Massachusetts, in the United States. He is the eldest of five children. His family moved to Claremont, New Hampshire in 1976 after his sophomore year of high school. After completing his pre-collegiate schooling, he attended the University of New Hampshire. He graduated with a degree in Political Science in 1982. His legal mind led him to attend the Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, where he completed his Master of Education Law and Juris Doctor in May 2004. To pursue his legal profession, Foss took and passed the New Hampshire Bar examination in October 2004, became an attorney, and started practicing law after two years, in 2006.
Foss began his poetic career in 2000, while he was serving on the New Hampshire School Board. In fact, it was just an accident. It happened that an assignment was given to all the members of the school board in which each member was assigned the task to bring some poems and read them in honor of National Poetry Month at the board meeting. In that competition, one of his two poems received highly positive responses. Since then, he began writing poetry on a regular basis.
Foss is quite lucky in his marriage, just like with his legal profession and writing career. He met his future wife at their previous church, Wesley United Methodist Church, in Concord, NH, in 2004. They became close during a weekly Bible study class, and soon they started dating. A few months later, Foss proposed to her. In December 2004 they tied the knot in Concord, New Hampshire. His wife, Ruth, is regarded as a wonderful person, and is now working as a local pastor at Suncook United Methodist Church. They have three daughters, Erica, Shyanne, and Shanequa. Their daughters are 14, 10, and 9 years old, respectively.
These days, Foss spends most of his time writing poetry. When he is not working, he tries to spend as much time as possible with his family. In order to stay up to date with modern trends in both poetry and technology, Foss launched his own website “Poetry Where You Live” in 2004. The website proved to be an instant hit, and his poetic talent crossed boundaries. He has published more than 13,500 poems on his website, each with his own comments. He also runs a poetry blog under his name.
Raymond A. Foss’s Works
Foss has self-published a book of his poetry under the same title as his blog, “Poetry Where You Live,” in 2009. So far, Foss has written more than 13,500 poems, all since 2000. Regarding his poetry, he states that he feels he is blessed with this skill, adding that oneof those blessings that God has given him is a gift of writing in rhythm.
Raymond A. Foss’s Style and Popular Poems
As a critic has stated, “[Foss] categorizes himself as one of those poets who write faith-based poetry.” Almost all of his poems vary in length, and a large number of his poems do not have meter and rhyme scheme, though they have similar themes. As a staunch Christian, he mostly focuses on his faith in his writing. He is constantly uses themes that center on ideas of life, nature, and God.
Foss’s use of metaphors, symbols, personification, and diverse images in his poetry has made him a popular poetic voice in the United States. Particularly, his three poems “Cards,” “Another Page,” and “Masks of Necessity” have used similar themes, where Foss has addressed his idea of life. In fact, Foss usually sticks to the point he knows best – the reason that his poems are the true embodiment of his inner voice.
Some of Foss’s most popular poems include “Fireworks,” “Sacrifices,” “The Beginning of Wisdom,” “An Unholy World,” “Fruit Flies,” “A Carpet of Covers,” “First Day,” “Butter Melting,” “Mother of Pearl,” “God’s Grace,” “To the Park,” “Words of Power,” “A Spring Rain,” “The First Human Voice,” “Masks of Necessity,” “Another Page,” and “Cards.”
More About Him
Raymond A. Foss is a staunch Christian, and ties most of his poems to the theme of God, his faith in God, His creation, beauty, and nature. His poems have universal appeal for common readers.