The Divided States of America

I’ll be honest with you, I’m tired of being so depressed about being a citizen of the USA.  The things I see people do in this country, on a day to day basis...lets just say I completely out of tears of shame.

The HATE that is spread by people who think they are so much better is amazing.  And the sad part is, most who read this will think I’m talking about someone else.  No, I’m talking about the average citizen.

(poem) - Wearing Black while Baking Bread

Is there anything better
Than wearing black
And being covered by flour?

Cooking is so much fun
Baking is as well
Watching bread rise, hour after hour.

Mix everything together
Add the right about of spice
And suddenly an amazing flavor comes together

I never realized
It could be so much fun
Cooking in the kitchen with her

My wife and I
Make a great team
Doing everything together, time after time

When it comes down to creating
We make the best of teams
As we write a story, line after line

But together in the kitchen
Kneading out the dough
We make the most amazing things

With flavors so astounding
We are reminded
Of why we gave each other rings

Food nourishes the body
Enhances life itself
Especially with the right flavors

Our love nourishes our soul
Mix in the spices of our life
And our marriage resonates with a purr

So, in the end
Cooking food together
Sums up our love

Add just the right mixture
Makes all the flavors of life
Soar so high above.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

Explaining Nerdy Things

The hardest part about explaining anything to anyone is getting past their own preconceived notions on the topic.  Some people will always see the thing you are trying to explain as silly, and your attempts at explaining it only make it more silly.

You really get into a bind when something is preconceived as ‘nerdy.’  Once it has that connotation, you might as well just give up trying to explain anything.  LARPing is the best example I can come up with right now.

My Process of Writing

I’ve always been amazed at how much really needs to go into writing to make it good.  Long fiction especially.  The research alone can be a daunting task.  There are many methods, but only one has worked for me, and I’ve learned it through so much trial and error that I can sometimes get overwhelmed.

First and foremost is the idea.  What is the story going to be about?  And trust me, there are many many many ideas to chose from.  I’ve had two big writing failures in my life.  Most would try to tell me that they weren’t failures, one actually did pretty well.

(poem) - I Belong in Her Arms

Is a dream a dream
(A crazy little dream)
If its based in reality?

What about pain?
(Is it pain?)
If its based within the mind?

Its hard not to scream
(Scream so loud)
When a dream involves pain?

Why does it hurt
(Its hurts so very much)
To have your heart broken?

I once had an ideal
(Such a great ideal)
Of what the perfect woman should be.

But the woman that was perfect
(Perfection on another level)
Broke the mold of everything that was

She changed my life
(Which needed changing)
For the better in every single way

And became my wife
(The perfect wife)
Making me the happiest man alive.

But I still remember the past
(Oh so very long ago.)
When heart break felt like it would kill me.

I remember those times
(Times best forgotten)
Crying over some foolish idiot not giving their all

I always gave my all
(Pouring my very soul)
To make sure that my love found its home

But it never did
(It grew stronger, harder)
And somehow found its way into Lisa’s embrace

This embrace
(This beautiful embrace)
Is something amazing that words cannot describe

Poetry
(No matter how you write it)
Cannot match the beauty of my wife’s soul

She survived
(Things I cannot imagine)
To be with me here, laying her head against my chest

How did either of us make it here
(This wonderful place we’ve found)
After going through so damned much without each other?

The answer is so simple
(Yet so very silly)
We survived what we had to, to be together.

Because this is where we both belong
And belonging is pretty awesome
When you belong in someone’s arms.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!