Joe Farley is best known as one of The Joes who have written the Keystone Tombstone series of biography books, about famous or noteworthy people buried in Pennsylvania. He and his partner, Joe Farrell, have appeared on numerous television and radio interviews and programs, as well as dozens of news columns and magazines regarding this work. The two have traveled the Commonwealth in search of interesting tales to tell, interesting tombstones to honor, and interesting taverns in which to discuss their findings.

Joe Farley’s poetry spans his adult life, from the 1970s to the present, lamenting opportunities lost in the Anthracite Region of his birth, as well as his conquests and travels as he settled in the Susquehanna Valley of Pennsylvania. Farley is a fan of Shakespeare’s sonnets, Wordsworth, Poe and William Butler Yeats, but his lyric style calls to mind his Irish roots. Regardless, these are verses in search of music. Hopefully a few musicians will do them justice. In the meantime, enjoy these lines by Joe Farley, an Irish bard at heart.