Hello everyone,

  I'm so very sorry … I feel horrible doing this, but I have no choice. You see, I have published my first book on Amazon/Kindle! This piece (and many others) had to be taken down because they do not allow published material to be available online for free. (Go figure) I wanted to leave the shell of the posts because I felt compelled to leave all your helpful and loving comments. (Silly sentimental, I know), but I also didn't want to just have the pieces disappear without an explanation. I feel bad enough as it is!

  I owe ALL of you so, SO much for all of your reads, love, and support. It was YOU that gave me the gumption to FINALLY get off my **** and publish! Thank you all for the warm comments, camaraderie, and encouragement! I will still be here, reading, uploading and just being the Rascal that I am. How could I EVER leave you guys?

  The book is called “The Way I See It – FictionPhilosophySoul Food” and it will be FREE for the first few days on Kindle Select, so watch for it, if you are interested. I hope that you go and grab it. If you do, I would also hope that you find it worthy, you would leave me a good review. That will help me get in the public eye! Soon afterward (2-3 days or so), it will be available in paperback. I will be building my Author page tonight (12/21/2018) and my website finished first thing Monday!

Find the book(s) here: www.amazon.com/author/jeff.gaines

Or find the book(s), and all about me, here: www.JeffGaines.world

  Soon after, I also hope to have my first novel (a supernatural thriller), called “Wanderer” available as well!

  Wish me luck!
Big, Biggest Love,
        Jeff Gaines

You know the saying
“There are two sides to every story?”
Well...
I believe there are three sides to every story....
The front cover....
     The back cover synopsis...
                  And
Everything in between that can be portrayed in many different ways....

Let that sink in for a moment...

It's so very quiet tonight,
The mist makes no sound
The creatures are bedded,
Not a soul to be found.
There's a stillness around,
A spirit could get lost
Above the ground.
Only the glam of stars
Pierce the velvet backdrop.
Like a slender grackle,
I **** my head
To hear distant horns and whistles.

.                                         it rides everything
                                  ~=~.~=~.~=~.~=~~=~.~­=~.~=~
              it pulls me in the morning and doesn't let me get out of bed
                it keeps me from flying away when i don't want to be here
                      it makes me fall for pretty strangers and their promises
                              it lets my fingers drown on my thoughts as i write
                                          it lets senseless words drop from my mouth
                                                   it forces people to not dream too much
                                                           keep your head on your shoulders
                                                       ­                and your feet in the ground
                                                          ­                             it lets things break
                                                           ­                                       it lets things
                                                          ­                                                        die
yet
a­ll those days
that sink and lay
with time will make sense
because gravity rides everything
                              ~=~.~=~.~=~.~=~.~=~~=~.~­=~.~=~.~=~
                                everything falls right into place.

She’s not a princess or a fairy
Neither is she a witch
In the sea she is a siren
In the forest she’s a nymph
Among a piece of garment
She’s the silken stitch
Connecting sides together
She’s the arching bridge
When it comes to sleight-of-hand
She’s the magicians trick
No matter the form she may choose
You’ll do anything but *****
For she is most often known
As a muse or primordial goddess

I watch as an older woman in a red flowery
dress holding yellow flowers looks out to the sea
Searching for the young man she fell
in love with at the ripe age of twenty three
He gave his life that day on the Normandy shore
on the sixth of June the year was forty-four
Every year this woman comes to the sea to remember
For when she said her marriage vows
she meant them to last to the end of her forever
She throws the yellow flowers out to the sea
Always grateful for the love they shared
and proud that he fell in the cause for the free