The poem “Future A.D.” was inspired by the anxiety about the future.  What can I do?  Take care of myself.

“Life Explodes” is a very short poem inspired by meme that had the words: “Keep Me Together / Do Not Abandon Me / Hold My Bones Together”

A friend expressed disbelief and discomfort with others stating admiration of her beauty.  I can relate, not that I have strains of beauty, but I am praised for some things.  I slough off these for my own reasons.  This makes my friend terribly normal, but still a beauty in her own way.  The poem “How Radiant” is about the ways people can be attractive.

Sometimes dreams remind us of old friends, those that have drifted away by the unkind fates.  “Echoed in Dreams” is about this malady.

Over the weekend I had a dream about being fired from work.  It was distressing, but in ethereal place there was some hope.  This is contrasted with Monday, where small anxieties bloomed in a sadly familiar pains.  “By The Small” is a dark tale reflecting the latter event.

“Cavorts in Chains” was inspired by the title of a Tumblr posting, “We are hollow marrionettes”.

“Belle of the Ball” was inspired by a Tumblr meme that asked:  “I wonder what it feels like to be one of those pretty girls that all the guys want.”   This is a good question.  I attempt to provide an answer.

I dreamt that I was at work, sans pants or underwear, again.   In the dream, I considered that I would be further along if I didn’t keep removing my trousers.  Life is unfair sometimes, providing avenues of self-express, and then yanking them away.  The poem “A Lack of Pants” speaks to how the dream spoke back to a prior career.

“Escape Found” is about one aspect of life that harbors escape from the norm.

“Beginning’s End” was inspired by a poem with the title “The Sound of a Snowflake”. This referenced poem was about a snowflake falling during a snow storm. My poem is not about this topic.

A new self-awareness and empowerment movement is afoot, embodied in the book, “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck”.  It says: “take care of yourself, don't care what other people think”.  Here's the rub.  I care too much about what other people think.  I care to the point that I have lost the desire to be competitive.  I care to the point that my self-worth is not my own.  Why?  My contracts, what I’ve agreed to do or be, have been some of the few things holding me here.  Now even the contracts are fracturing as I find myself unable to satisfy the terms.  What is left?  Perhaps a final apology.

How can you make me lose the will to embrace a person or group?  Reveal to me the anger underneath.  After I know what lurks underneath, I can no longer participate.  Why?  I suspect PTSD type symptoms going back to very (very) early childhood abuse and participating in relationships with bipolar people.

A Tumblr post with the words “Everything Has Beauty, a friend’s post heartfelt post about past ****** assault, and the continuing developments in the political and entertainment realms, inspired me to write “Victims Too Lovely.

A 2013 article by The Atlantic stated that “One in three-to-four girls, and one in five-to-seven boys are sexually abused before they turn 18, an overwhelming incidence of which happens within the family. These statistics are well known among industry professionals, who are often quick to add, "and this is a notoriously under-reported crime."”  My poem “The Truth Waits” is about this crippling, evil injustice.

“Exacting Truth” was inspired by a painting created by a friend.  It features representations of the same person in light and dark spaces.  To me this spoke of the struggles of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and self-harm.

Chuck Palahniuk is credited with the quote, "I want out of the labels. I don't want my whole life crammed into a single word. A story. I want to find something else, unknowable, some place to be that's not on the map. A real adventure. A spinx. A mystery. A blank. Unknown. Undefined."  These thoughtful words inspired me to write “Behind the Mask”.

“Evoke the Fall” is about recognition of past human right violations by ****** assault and harassment. The blessed wind blowing now is impacting people who previously thought they were safe.

“True Weight” is a poetic journey through the fall of the ****** predator.  The past **** culture, fully given permission by society, is crumbling under the weight of wrongs to humanity.

I’m at a point in my life where I’ve got to let go of STUFF.  The poem “Loss Portend” is about this shift.

“Fire’s Embrace” was inspired by the quote attributed to Hunter Stockton Thompson, “Blend in with the indigenous life, analyze their weaknesses, prepare the planet for the upcoming madness”.

“I’m Released” is a poem about body dysmorphic disorder (BDD).  This an anxiety disorder that causes sufferers to spend a lot of time worrying about their appearance and to have a distorted view of how they look.  I find escape when I am dreaming or when I am dancing.

“Salvation’s Gain” is about hope, a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.

“Pointing Westward” is about the struggle of high-functioning depression.

“Sun’s Sane Light” is about the need for the jester or trickster to bridge the hubris of the human condition and the wisdom of the divine. The intervening steps appear to be scathing madness, but in this the truth is revealed in its form beyond the petty striving of man.

“Scarlet’s Stain” was inspired by a Tumblr posting that featured paintings of the persecuted being burned at the stake.  This is not a regular occurrence in our modern world, but this does not mean that persecution doesn’t happen because people are perceived to be different from a larger norm.

“Dribbling Emotions” was inspired by the T.S. Eliot quote, “Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion”.

“An Eye’s Color” is about the complicated relationship between surface measures of beauty, perceiving the beauty of the full world, and viewing our beauty in the mirrors of others.

The poem “Discarded Wings” borrows from the myth of Icarus, the boy who flew too close to the Sun.

The poem “Guardian Anointed” uses the archetype of the Cherubim, guardians of the sacred.

Darkness does have a place in creation. There is a tremendous power stored in the shadow. In the early 2000s I was told that I should be writing. At that time I struggled mightily with dark thoughts. I told myself, "I cannot write of what I know. Who wants to hear about madness?". Now I do write. My own shadow is still there. Now the darkness informs my writing, adding wisdom and insight. There are artists who's works are simultaneously very dark, even as they peers into the depths of the human experience. Sometimes it is difficult to look, read or listen to these creations. This is OK. The artist is creating for themselves and for those who are capable of sharing the vision. Deep down, the darkest of works are created with the mantra of "somebody will see this, somebody will recognize this". The shadow is crucial part of creation. Without the darkness, there cannot be light.

"In the beginning God created heaven and earth." So says Genesis 1:1. I say that God is still creating the heaven and the earth. We stare into the same void. We maintain our sanity and soul by seeing the void as a place of potential. What are we to do on this earth? What is our purpose? Merely create the best you can. On the sixth day, you too will say, "behold, it was very good".

The title of the poem “Things Left Unsaid” was inspired by the Pink Floyd album “Things Left Unsaid”.

Many of my friends are quite lovely. Some are lovely plus some. That’s because they have a personal style laid on top of their natural beauty. “Style’s Intent” is about these occurrences.

“Call the Kettle Black” is about life’s struggles between polar opposites full of egoistic assurance.

"Beauty Insured” is based on the John Mayer quotation, "If you're pretty, you're pretty; but the only way to be beautiful is to be loving. Otherwise, it's just "congratulations about your face".

“Cards Were Played” is about the lots cast with the people in our lives.

Every so often a person will appear in your life with a reminder that life does hold magical moments. The fog of existence is burned away for a brief moment as the spirit responds to forgotten stimulus. The poem "I’m Not Dead" is about this phenomenon.

“Prison Walls” is about the creativity present during moments of depression.  The cathartic value is life saving.  The inspiration behind the effort is a monster with few equals.

I am seriously surprised, delightfully so, by the friends I have in the dance community.   Often I am chatted up by the unexpected person.  I welcome the interactions though I may not adequately show it.  They teach me about things I may have missed in my life experience, affirm my belief that humanity isn’t a failed enterprise, and help assure that I’m not alone in this world.

“Two in Bush” is about the irony of aging, that trades are made as the years progress.

“Beyond the Fold” is about living life outside of the lines.

There aren’t a lot of photographers that dedicate a majority of their efforts to capturing dance images.  I am happy to be one of them.  “Dancer’s Grace” is a lighthearted look at the polarities of model photography and dance photography.

“As Shackles Fall” is about the challenges facing too many lives.  While the world does not promise rescue is at hand, there are those willing to help their friends.

I’m here to share that at every point in life a person will find themselves asking, “what should I do with the remainder of my life?”

I’m aware of a phenomenon among my young friends.  Cuddling seems to be pursued to fill emotional spaces and physical hunger.  “Empty Bed” is my take on this need.

I was at a dance, feeling separated the other attendees.   A friend noticed my condition and asked if I was OK.  I begged off, saying I was tired.    “On A Throne” is about the experience.

“Fruit of Tainted Trees” was inspired by the Anaïs Nin quote, “I do not recall anyone to whom you bear the slightest resemblance. You remind me only of yourself…”.  I took the “recalling anyone” and turned it into the larger recalling of the past.  While the past seems to be a predictor of the present, the judgment of people based on the past is a problematic activity.

“The Contest” was inspired by the “*** in the City” quote, “there’s a battle between what we know and what we feel”.

“Chimera’s Hope” is about polarities of life.  It was inspired by a Tumblr meme with the words “I Dream Here”.

I can’t deny that beauty infests my world.  It is present in so many ways.  The poem “Life’s Will-o-Wisp” is about aspects of this existence.

The poem “Harsh Charms” was inspired by a  Laurie Halse Anderson quote: “I have survived. I am here. Confused, ******* up, but here”.

A friend has been celebrating their “Inktober”, a nearly daily expression of sketches.  They sketched one based on one of my photographs.  The end product inspired me to write “To Sketch or Paint”.