I am just loving the books I am reading now and will share the titles with you...

Poetry matters, by Ralph Fletcher, A Night without Armor, poetry by jewel, and Max the Mighty, Rodman Philbrick. Two of them (the first and third) are ostensibly for teens, but actually some so-called teen books are very beneficial to adults. Avi's books for teens have great crossover messages to deliver.

Fletcher is reminding me of the great potential in short poetry, for clarity plus depth to co-exist in the work. I am thinking more and more about writing a number of four-line poems. In the past, I wrote extended sequences of haiku that told a story. This was a great exercise.

I may copy one here.

Tommorow I have a column explainking why I support Obama published in the Asheville paper. This is about the fifth of mine they have published. I am excited about this.

Rodman Philbrick's books are difficult to read because they depict both good and evil vividly, but they are well worth the read.

Now I am listening to Journey, taking me back to the late eighties, early ninties. Strange how songs convey images of the past--bittersweet memories...Streetlights, people...somewhere in the night...Some will win, some will lose, some are born to sing the blues...

How do people live without music...and poetry.

Don't stop believing, hold onto that feelings...

Now this is a great, great song coming up..."November rain," by Guns N' Roses...

Nothin' lasts forever, it's hard to hold together in the cold, November rain...Everybody needs some time all alone...I know it's hard to keep an open heart...

Tell me this is not great poetry.

But the poetry is also in the music, and the music is in the poetry. It's a great unity of sound and words that comes through.

When shadows still remain, I know that you can love me, when there's no one left to blame, never mind the darkness, we still can find a way...