Curtis Jerry Smothers
Teacher . Editor . Poet . Writing Coach . Historian . Online Tutor

A Conversation About Immortality, Science, and the Meaning of Life Curt: Arturo, medical science has made remarkable progress in extending human life. Some researchers believe we may eventually slow, halt, or even reverse certain aspects of biological aging. That raises an interesting question. Suppose science eventually makes it possible for people to live indefinitely. Would that be a blessing or a curse? Arturo: Curt, you've raised one of humanity's oldest questions, b

I Love Baseball As football's fights bring winter's end And roundball dribbles out Spring brings beloved baseball As good weather turns about "Play ball!" the umpire bellows "Cold beer!" the vendor yells And we nosh those golden goobers And toss their tawny shells From bleacher steps to railings To outfield's grassy green Where fielders stare and focus Intent on infield's scene Where the batter and the pitcher Each ponders what comes next The un-hit strike or screamin

The Advantages of Joining the Military Service to Country, Opportunities for Life By Curtis Jerry Smothers, LCDR, USN (Ret.) Introduction: More Than a Job What does a young person gain by joining the military? A steady paycheck, education, medical care, travel opportunities, and perhaps a retirement pension are certainly attractive possibilities. But military service offers something that is harder to measure: the opportunity to develop discipline, accept responsibility,

I gave fire a personality in my featured poem Fire. This time, I've given it a daughter. My new poem, Steam, continues the story of fire, but with a distinctly nautical twist. During my Navy years aboard fuel-powered aircraft carriers, I learned to appreciate the tremendous power generated deep within those great ships. Far below the flight decks, fire and water joined forces to produce the steam that turned massive turbines and drove thousands of tons of steel across the oce

The Everyday Cybersecurity Checklist Seven Habits That Matter Cybersecurity can become complicated very quickly. Professionals worry about network architecture, encryption protocols, software vulnerabilities and attack methods with names that sound as though they belong in a spy novel. Fortunately, the ordinary computer user doesn't need to master any of that. Most successful personal cybersecurity comes down to a handful of habits. None is difficult, expensive or particularl

Fire From ember’s sleep I rise and stretch To what is dry and prone to me I hiss and lick the kindling’s stick And turn to char with evil glee That which I consume will cease to be All in my path, my life’s own fuel I burn and roar with windy storm Voracious bent, unfeeling, cruel To those who’d stay my hungry tongue I roar, defy, devour, renounce Now alive, I’m free, unbound I jump, I spark, their efforts trounce Across the grass I race and leap On prairie wind I spread my r

Benedict Arnold: The Plot to Betray West Point October 2, 1780 Today the name Benedict Arnold is practically a synonym for “traitor.” Yet Arnold did not begin the American Revolution as a villain. He began it as one of the Continental Army’s most aggressive and courageous commanders. His transformation from American hero to British officer remains one of the strangest stories of the Revolution. And on October 2, 1780, another man paid with his life for Arnold’s treason.

Before our summer is undressed Comes Colorado’s Oktoberfest

Skilled trades and apprenticeship programs offer second-chance workers paid training, valuable credentials, and a practical path toward a stable future. A four-year college degree remains an indispensable pathway to many professions. It opens doors to careers in medicine, law, engineering, education, and numerous other fields. For people whose interests and goals call for a degree, college can be an excellent investment. College, however, is not the right choice—or the only g

The promise of Summer Is Winter’s cold dream Awakened by Springtime And warm weather’s gleam But the promise of Winter Was more like an oath Fields that lay fallow Give birth to new growth That growth is what feeds us Dug up by the plow We eat what we earn By the sweat of our brow Before Winter’s return Autumn must reap While farmers sow promise The earth knows to keep Fulfilling the promise Of Winter’s retreat And Springtime’s awakening Of all that we eat Our live

Twenty-five years ago, the attacks of September 11, 2001, transformed America. At the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, 2,977 people were killed. Grief quickly became a national resolve: prevent another attack and pursue those responsible.

I know how to lose weight. What you do is burn more calories than you eat. This is apparently a fundamental law of nature, although people forget it all the time.

Macbeth called life “a walking shadow,” with each of us a poor player strutting briefly upon the stage. I’ve borrowed his stage but given the player a blank page and an unwritten script.

Giver of life, bringer of death, Ingredient of primordial soup Whence the first tadpole emerged, Half in and half out, Knowing that I was its past, present, and future. Fallen from the sky, I bring sustenance to what lives. Desiccation becomes green; Green becomes lush with lichens and moss. I pool in creeks and drain like tears To rivers, then to salty oceans. Watch me from the Moon And see my blueness. Sail over me in your ships and boats And see my denizens Starin

Computers are wonderful devices. They save time, simplify our lives, put the world's information at our fingertips—and periodically reduce perfectly rational adults to repeatedly clicking the same button while muttering threats at an inanimate object.

The Harlem Globetrotters were not originally from Harlem, nor were they originally named the Globetrotters. Their first team name was the New York Harlem GlobeTrotters, and they were a team of professional Black basketball players who toured southern Illinois during the 1920's.

The Harlem Globetrotters were not originally from Harlem, nor were they originally named the Globetrotters. Their first team name was the New York Harlem GlobeTrotters, and they were a team of professional Black basketball players who toured southern Illinois during the 1920's.

A Navy Father and an Army Son Yes—one of my children did follow my footsteps into military service. My son, Mark, chose a different path, but one just as meaningful. After growing up for 20 years as the son of a Navy man, he decided the Army was the right fit for him. I was serving as an active-duty Navy officer when Mark made his decision. One of the proudest moments of my life came in 1981 at an Army Recruiting Station in Fresno, California, when I had the honor of adminis

Veterans Day was originally Armistice Day, when on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 World War I ended. If ever there was a brutal, stupid war, it had to be the blood and carnage of World War I. But that's a subject for another forum. "Pershing at the Front," by Arthur Guiterman is not an anti-war poem. It's just a light-hearted piece that pokes fun at military protocol. So, the following is an article I wrote a few years ago for Helium.com: Arthur G