Chasing dreams today. Always chasing dreams. And I’m going to keep on chasing them.
Gleaming Horizon

Chasing dreams today. Always chasing dreams. And I’m going to keep on chasing them.

I put the final words down on my latest manuscript last week and thought I could get all of my revisions ready for my copy editor by the end of the weekend. Boy was I wrong! Got me thinking about expectations and the way the last part of any journey or process is always the most difficult. For me anyway. Anyone else find that to be true? Getting started, that’s easy. Following through? I’m getting better.

Had an encounter with a remarkably romantic gentleman just moments before writing this. Touched my heartstrings and inspired this poem for my own bride.

My bride is home–cannot tell you enough how ecstatic that makes me. She’s definitely my touchstone. While she was away, I slipped from my routine and things I meant to get done quickly ended up takin much longer. Today, waking up with her, I was able to leap right back into things and completed a major milestone with one project and took the first major step in another, unrelated project. The momentum of completing the one fed into the other, which is the inspiration for today’s poem.
Speaking of inspiration and poetry, the first contest I’ll be looking to enter is called Wergle Flomp. Sound interesting? Sign up for The Daily Poet and I’ll tell you about it in our next newsletter! This one looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun.

Big steps being taken for The Everyday Poet! First up, special thanks to Eduardo for his masterful production skills of our podcast. We’ll be recording a few more episodes and then we’ll start releasing them.
So that’s big step 1.
Big step 2? I’m going to be officially starting The Daily Poet Newsletter, with an aim for weekly distribution. This newsletter will feature all of the poetry from the previous week and will bring you through my journey as I begin writing poems for contests and publications. I’ll be sharing my discoveries, research, and creative process for any and all who are interested.
But wait–there’s more!
Step 3, which is really more like step 2.5, is that I’ll be using YOUR feedback via the newsletter, blog comments, and podcast feedback to determine a theme for March. I am loving the free form and it’s really helping me to expand, but I’d like now to start pushing myself and I think having a dedicated touchstone connecting the poems for a few weeks is an excellent way to do that. Fingers crossed.
And now on to today’s poem–another love poem. I know, you’re going to start charging me for your dental work with all the cavities I’m giving. But my bride is home today and home feels far more like HOME again. It’s good to have her back.

Last night my cohost, partner in crime, and good friend Eduardo joined me in recording the pilot episode for The Everyday Poet Podcast. We’ll be recording more episodes once we know how long production is going to take and will Schedule their release accordingly. It was a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to many more episodes.
That was last night. This morning I find myself strongly missing my bride. She’s away for work right now and I’m simply not as much without her. Keenly feeling her absence today.
You are missed, Amor.

You ever have your whole day planned out? You’re proud of it. Know that you’re going to be productive. Pleased that you’ve managed to work everything together just so. Why, your schedule is practically a work of art.
Then a phone call. Good news or bad. Disruption. The plans are shattered and you’re left rushing forward through the day trying to pick up as many of the original pieces as you can along the way. Blessings in disguise and lessons to be learned here.

First time sharing a poem and not giving it a title. I’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas, or suggestions. Let me know what you think it should be called in the comments below!
Been thinking on the nature of forgiveness and resentment this morning. Consider the act of simply letting go something that frustrates you or a wrong that has been done. Simple right? Easy, not so much. How does one actually perform the act of release? It’s a choice but is that the end of it? I don’t think so. I think forgiveness is a continuous series of choices, or perhaps a single choice set on repeat, that is at worst set to an eternal repeat.
Failure to make the choice, however often it needs to be made, results in holding tight to something. Something that might give you power. Something that might burn you from the inside out. Something that might turn toxic and burn people it’s not intended for.
I was asked the other day if I EVER got mad or angry. I do. Only I do one of two things with it. I let it go right away. Or I hold onto it, or a part of it, and bury it deep, where it slowly accumulates like a landfill until it spills over in passive aggressive acts or an unfounded explosion. Probably oversharing here. Just processing this habit of mine, contemplating the effects, and how to prevent it from happening or finding an appropriate outlet.

I warned you there would be more love poems.
Today marks another massive benchmark on this journey. We are now officially one month in to The Everyday Poet challenge. 31 days down and 31 poems written.
This one’s for my bride, whose love and support make me so much more.

If you are a creative and you have not read The War of Art, I highly encourage you to do so. The author speaks of the enemy of creatives and calls it “resistance.” I was thinking on it today as I push myself to create more and more works.
