Poetopia:Life in Three Volumes

Words are power and freedom; words are life. Words are seeds and the vista; words, at least revolutionary ones, are the source of revolutions, personal and societal. I live for words. Writing is my service; my freedom; my expression; my joy; my very words are love. My words are me.

I written three volumes of poetry that are a part of my "Poetopia" Trilogy: "Implosions at the Festival of Self" (1993-2002); "On Love and Revolution" (2005); and "Rock and Roll Poet" (2007). I have been publishing individual poems since I was six and have been publishing in journals and collections for the past fifteen years. I am, however, shopping for publishers for the Poetopia series. I am also considering publishing them through my own Desert Highway Press.

I write lyrics and poems that tell stories about real people dealing with the richness and complexity of life; the struggles, tragedies, and ultimately the triumph of the human spirit. I feel that it is possible to celebrate an existence that is fleeting, flawed, and largely futile. Really, all of my songs are love songs (romantic love, love of self, love for humanity, and love of life); there isn't any topic more compelling or important for music or any art form. My song lyric entitled "Fiesta Days" recently received second prize in the American Songwriter Contest and has been published in the December 2005 edition of American Songwriter magazine! My song lyric entitled "On My Mind" received the Director's Award for the Fall 2005 Nashville International Song and Lyric Competition.

I am a member of BMI (as songwriter and publisher) of ASCAP (as music publisher), the Americana Music Association, the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) as well as the Songwriters Guild of America (SGA). Check below for more on my philosophy of love along with a few lyrical samples. Above I have lyrics for several recently written songs!

I should also add that I am interested in working with co-writers, especially those with a gift for melody or composing. If you are interested in collaboration, please let me know

The Control of Freedom

Just What Have I Learned?

Just what have I learned in this short life
From words and fears and memories, the puke stains on the floor
Ive learned to trust the heathens more than the self righteous
To shed tears in times of crisis and to keep heading for the door

The answers to this are easier than I imagine
To let loose my shoes and float into the night
And what I leave behind, hopefully not too much damage
But I wouldnt have the blues if I was doing right

Just where have I gone in this short life
Ive trespassed on sacred ground but no one needs to know
Im walking on empty roads, living with the breeze
Hating my condition because the TV told me so

The answers to this are easy to imagine
To let loose these rules and reach into the sky
And what I leave behind is easy enough to manage
But I cannot shake these blues and Im a wondering why

Just where am I headed in this short life
Who even wants to ask, who even wants to know
Who can explain to me the miracle of conception
Who can explain to me the need for April snow

The answers to this I dare to imagine
The morning air is cool, I see the sun begins to rise
And what I leave behind Ill never take for granted
And Ill keep humming the blues as time keeps traveling by

At the Keyboard (the computer one)

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