The poem “Lays in the Fall” was loosely inspired by a fellow poet posting a long past photo of themselves.  They stated that they wrote like a youth at that time.  I considered what this means, with the inspired poem as the resulting output.

The poem “Future Past” was inspired by thoughts about the past being the foundation of today before today becomes the past.

The poem “Persephone” was fully inspired by the goddess associated with the time of struggle.

The poem “Realized by Harmony” was inspired by music breaching the sound barrier, then moving into an inner sight.

The poem “The Wicked and Divine” was inspired by the lyrical line, “You trick your lovers / That you're wicked and divine” from the song “Undisclosed Desires” by Muse.

The poem “Pen To Page” was inspired by a day during which emotional thoughts were getting the best of me.  Normally I would pen a poem to express what I was feeling, but this particular set was too familiar ground.  I was left without my usual outlet.

The poem “Called a Sin” is about the trials and relief of self-medication.

The poem “Hide the Rain” was written on World Mental Health Day 2019.  The theme for the day was ‘Focus on Suicide Prevention’.  My personal thoughts were that every day lived is a success.

The poem “Whispers Will Proclaim” is about the frustration of the poet.  A poem attempts to explain the world.  By purpose, or accidental shortcomings, the revelations are hidden in the maze of words.

The poem “Balance Tipped” was inspired by the affection I received from friends at a social event.

The poem “Meant for Dust” is a consideration of celebrations.

The poem “Darkest Days” is informed by my feelings regarding my place in the workplace.

The poem “Pondering at the End” was inspired by a photo that had a green CRT monitor repeating the phrase “what have you done?” for the length of the screen.

“Shadows’ Blur” is about recognizing the darkness in like souls.

The poem “Sometimes a Breath” was inspired by the quote “You don’t always need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go, and see what happens.” attributed to Mandy Hale.

The poem “Portraits Hung” is about the hiding of the true self from most of society.

The poem “Birthday Suit” was inspired by the involvement of friends in burlesque based entertainment.   I considered how revealing writing can be compared to these celebrated events.

The poem “Drawer Has Emptied” is about a lack of spoons, with this cutlery being slang for “an imaginary unit of energy used by people with illnesses and disabilities”.

The poem “Shadow’s Taint” is a testament to the long-term impact of depression.

The poem “Behind Constraints” was inspired by a meme that stated, “You don’t always have to be who they want you to be.”

The poem “Illusion’s Path” is about the farcical nature of explicit ****** film or print material.   Unrealistic expectations are extremely problematic as a statement of what could or should manifest in intimate situations.

The poem “Formally Known” was inspired by my friends who are discovering their identities.

The poem “Snake Eyes” is about the attempts made to escape this thing called life.  The poem was inspired by a Tumblr photo of a shopfront with the store name “Hauntings”.  A neon sign flashed in the window.  The words “99 cent Dreams” lured the buyer to an unknown fate.

The poem “Imprisonment” was written in response to a prompt, “write me a poem describing the most dreadful prison you can come up with.”  I’ve lived in one that I’ll gladly share.

The poem “Close the Eyes” was inspired by a comic titled “When to Close Your Eyes”.  The strip explored music, feeling rain, running under the moonlight, hugging a friend, smelling food, taking a bath, feeling wind in the hair, looking away during a scary movie, and then finally falling asleep.

The poem “Of The Heart” is about seeking to share expressions of personal beauty.

The poem “I Wrote This Poem” is about the opportunity of the poet to explore themselves AND consider the shared aspects of a larger world.

The poem “Despair’s Snare” was inspired by song that had the line “when there is so much love to give”.  The following line was more hopeful than the couplet in my piece.

The poem “Faceless in Paradise was inspired by a series of photos from the movie “Hiruga” directed by Hiroshi Nishitani.

The poem “Private Hell” is about the possible internal worlds of the depressed.

The poem “Seek the Villain” is about the inherent selfishness of humanity.  There are small transgressions and then there is more.  Integrity and guilt struggle in the midst.

The poem “Lovely Traps” is about the safety of virtue being overwhelmed by temptation.

“The Acts” is a poem about the commonality of the human experience.  The outwardly directed results may differ from person to person.  It’s too easy to condemn the motivation, such as the happiness of a loving relationship, for the lack of reference to the outcomes.

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

The poem “Fully Lost” is a generalized look at abuse, both actual and perceived.  The abuser can be a person, a society, or just the person’s psyche.

The poem “Bent to Bridges” was inspired thoughts about inward phobias, inadequate self-worth, and internalization of society’s misgivings.  These are countered by fellow travelers that give comfort and hope.  The distance between self-hatred and freedom is measured in quantities too small to measure by conventional means.

The poem “Gender Flows” is about the fluidity of gender expression or identity.

The poem “Sad Discharge” is the result of considering how worlds of dreams are manifested, and the inevitable outcome.

The poem “Intimate is Understood” is about connection.  The need to acknowledge another is transcendent, with outcomes from handshaking to *******.  Most of daily connection lay between these two extremes.  All of connection may defy what larger world may feel is appropriate.  The outcome is truly blessed as barriers are dropped and divinity is recognized.

The poem “Beyond This Time” is a darker poetic expression.

The poem “The Greatest Boon” is about the poor decisions being made by many leaders.   It is almost AS IF they don’t count on being around when disaster full confronts the short-term decisions being made.  Considering that many of the motivations are driven by business cycles, all being in the immediate term, this theory rings too true.

The poem “Poetry Accident” is an expression of the journey of my poetic writing efforts.  The artistic enterprise “Poetry Accident” came to birth in September of 2014.  At conception, the effort was to produce ninety days of poetry.  The ninety became one hundred, which then rolled into years.   Nineteen hundred plus poems later, the accident continues.

The poem “The Camel’s Back” was inspired by the TED Talk “How to Connect with Depressed Friends” By Bill Bernat.

The poem “Craving’s Bliss”  is about the surface of self-medication.

March 23, 2018, has been marked by marches by the common people.  These events inspired me to write the poem “Tearing Down”.

The poem “Read the Signs” was inspired by a consideration of impressions derived by the social media that stand separate from the family-friendly realms.

The poem “Leave the Hurt” was inspired by a stray thought about how people would judge a life after it was over.

The poem “Beyond the Shore” is about the frustration and the magic of writing poetry.  Is the outcome read?  Does the struggle put to words matter?  One day the void will have an answer.

The poem “Cloaked by Pictures” was inspired by a meme about walls keeping secrets.

The poem “Paradise of the Pane” is about the desire to transform, with the coveted destination displayed in a showroom window.