Optimistic Pessimist

Optimism in this day and age is such a ramshackle term.  The world seems to be going down in flames, yet having a favorable outlook about it all seems silly.  I think that’s the reason why I call myself an Optimistic Pessimist.  Most people try to split the middle by calling themselves realists, but I’m definitely not that.

I believe everything will work out for the best, though there will be pitfalls along the way.  My current example: the battery went out on the car, a dead battery is either the thing that charges the battery, the alternator; or its just a dead battery.  If it’s the alternator and you don’t check it and you replace the batter with a new one it will kill the new battery, as well.  So when does it cross the line FROM optimism to say that we should check the alternator just in case?

The reason I create.

Have you ever had a dream that overwhelmed you?  I’m not talking about a nightmare, I’m talking about thoughts of a story that has swept you away, and after you came out of the dream, you just kept adding to it, or editing it, as you went through your day?  Ever see a story or a movie, and think to yourself that you could have done it better, or that it would have been better with certain tweaks?

Unfortunately, I am like this.  I say unfortunate, because sometimes I can’t enjoy certain stories because I see the plot holes, or something that’s just incorrect, or something that the author/director changed to fit what they needed to, even though they had set up something before that doesn’t justify it.  Okay, maybe that last one was a bit confusing due to pronouns.

(poem) Strive

Delusions of grandeur
Dreams of greatness
They can be seen on the horizon
Yet be as elusive as Nessie of Loch Ness

They are figments of the imagination
Yet things for which we strive
Some people fully believe
To achieve them is to be alive

We walk this Earth
Striving for a destiny
Yet most are doomed
To an existence kin to a zombie.

I’ve watched dreams thrive
I’ve watched them die
I’ve achieved my happiness
In the blink of an eye

I crave so much more
Yet that is not as important
As simply learning to live
Within each and every moment

Goals are great
Dreams are good
Enjoy this life
In every way you would

Pain is temporary
As is life
Your dreams are your pinpoints
To move you from strife

Achieve what you can
Smile every day
For maybe sometime
You can enjoy where you lay

I enjoy my dreams
And strive to achieve them
Go strive for your own
I'm imploring you with this poem

--Dan

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A Passion in Beauty

There is so much beauty in this world.  But beauty is so subjective.  I definitely know where I find beauty, and I’ve found it in so many places.

Let me start by saying, I do not say the word ‘beauty’ lightly.  In today’s society, so many words are thrown around in so many different ways, that they all seem to lose their importance.  The definition of beauty states “deep satisfaction to the mind” or “high spiritual qualities are manifest.”  When I say beautiful, I don’t mean sexy, or even pretty, I mean moving to the soul.

I’ve found beauty in my fiance’s eyes, I’ve found it standing on the top of a mountain, with the vastness of the Earth far below me.  I find beauty laying in my hammock in the back yard, I’ve found it in a great book that has consumed my time.  But more importantly, I find beauty in passion used to create.

(poem) The divine blessing of life

I’ve stood upon the mountain top
And looked down upon the Earth
This is where I found God
Where I found life’s worth

Most people see such beauty
In the eyes of their child
Others when simply
Trekking through the wild




It’s hard to look past
The beauty of nature
When you find inspiration there
You fill find nothing so pure

I can’t help but create
When touched by beauty
The blinking icon on the page
Has anything so taunted me?

I want to share my dreams
With the entire world
They are marvelous stories
When they are unfurled.




I’ve moved people to tears
Made them flood with emotion
With the written word
The world can stop its motion

I’ve gone to beautiful places
With a pen and pad
And let inspiration rush over me
Writing among proverbial dryads.

There is absolution nothing more calming
Than laying in the hammock
On a warm windy day
Watching clouds run amuck

Swaying in that breeze
Listening to the sound of the world turning
Fills my soul
With gentle yearning




To dream a dream
Recreating forgotten lore
Oh to be a Bard
In the days of yore

To spin tails
To play the lute
Allowing people to relive
Deeds of great repute

Yes, I found religion
In the beauty of life
Why can’t others find the peace of God
Without the damning strife?

--Dan

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