I’m Back

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted here

And there are certainly many new ideas so no need to fear

I feel like it is time to restart this blog

It’s been a long time, time to step out of the fog

2019 is just underway, the long road ahead something exciting every day

These poems I used to write, I desperately miss them

The words flowing from my mind, so delightfully good I want to kiss them

Time to put the shoes and socks on and head out the door

Welcome back to the blogosphere, may I start posting so much more

500 Club

That deserves a dip into the pool.

I finally hit the number on this blog: 500 followers. It took a long time, longer than necessary but here I am now. May not seem like much but it’s still pretty good. What’s the significance? Well, that’s 500 different people who see my words and pictures. 500 people who come across my work and passions and share their interests with me. 501 to be exact. I haven’t been as active on this blog as I was in the past but it’s not like I couldn’t pick it up again and start going good again, if I wasn’t so busy with other things.

Thanks for 500 followers again. Next stop is 1000 but that’s quite a ways off at this point.

A Musical Journey

I used to know barely anything about music, let only being able to play it. Didn’t know a single note on the piano. Didn’t know a quarter note from a sixteenth note. Well, that has started to change for the better.

Strum up, strum down, strum up, strum down. Slide, hammer on, hammer off. When you put your fingers into various positions on the fretboard, different sounds are produced. Fingerpicking is exciting because it gives more variation to the songs.

I’ve been getting guitar lessons from a friend of mine named Rodney Simons. Though the songs are out of date and not very fun to play, I’m still getting a better feel of playing now and being in rhythm. Through two lessons, I have already learned some new chords and remastered others. This guy is a master at the electric organ though the sound of it drowns out my simple, unamplified acoustic guitar.

I’ve been playing guitar for over seven years now (though not continuously) and have come a long way since I first learned basic chords and about the basics of the guitar. Now I have finally started to learn and play many popular songs and begun to write my own.

Playing any instrument is a musical journey and takes years of practice to master and that’s what I have in mind right now as my fingers start to flow better on the strings and I eventually start to like it more and more. I got inspired to learn guitar right after I graduated high school and I have to say I’m glad I did because I’ve always wanted to have musical talent but never had the patience to develop it (too many other things were important). Well, at least now I can say I have a legitimate talent, even if it’s still quite unrefined yet.

I Want Candy

Candy was a flavorful trip

Exciting my sweet taste buds

But leaving an empty craving

Of no lasting memory

Engaged

And so this chapter ends

Not with me

But with him

My futile efforts

To win her love

Now ends with a ring

This minute era

Now memories cherished

But locked, key thrown away

The sun will rise

The moon will wane

The ocean’s tide

The April rain

Reminding me of sweet perfume

And eyes of a misty glaze

That one February day

On the edge of the great plain

Holds a place in my brain

 

 

The Old Man

The friendly old man

Never hurt a fragile soul

Happiness spreads all around

Push Your Luck

So it was another trip to FireKeeper’s Casino and Hotel in Battle Creek today. The enormous colorful sign on the side of the highway advertising it is hard to miss on the way there. More than 66,000 people pass that sign each day, which means most will get excited about the potential of winning a lot of money at the casino and will be going or think about going in the future.

When you walk through the front door of FireKeeper’s casino, you will immediately notice the large fiery orange pole going from floor to ceiling with a helical metal structure climbing around, to symbolize the flames of the firekeeper, referring the job a Native American would have in the tribe.

If there is one machine that I loved in this place and was doing really well for me and I wanted to find it again, it would be next to impossible to find it, because it’s a sea of machines with various bells and whistles and themes, most of which put the idea into your head that you could get rich quick just by playing.

Today was not my lucky day, though it was for my mom who won over a hundred dollars. Good for her on getting money that is basically free. I’m going to learn eventually that if I suddenly earn more than I came with I should just call it quits and walk away, but it’s the thought that I could win so much more and I could have a really lucky day at hand.

 

Stitched Green

One checkered green hoodie stitched multiple times together into a pattern.

It Is Easy Being Green 

Dark Places

Getting out of that dark place was the best thing that could have ever happened to me, because now I have a direction in life and see more and more opportunities on the horizon, whenever they become available. Always having something to look forward to everyday, whether it be writing, photography, or filmmaking, gives me a sense of purpose in life, and eases my doubts and makes me happy.

I still know a few people who are in a dark place and would greatly benefit from a helping hand and support to get them going in the right direction. The reason one of these people is in such a bad spot is because they have had an abusive childhood and were brought up with basically no love and support. Getting that much needed love and care would do wonders for this person, as she would finally see hope and light for the first time and not want to go back to living that dreary, depressing, misguided life of her past. Her abusive parents are to blame for how terrible her life has been up to now, not having a solid home to stay in, going from place to place, not knowing where she’ll end up next, a perpetual leaf in the breeze, dust blowing in the wind. Imagine not even being able to sleep in a bed, but on the cold hard floor. I wish there was something I could do about it but at this point I can only hope that she will figure it all out.

Acceptance

It’s Over

It was nice knowing you
But now that I know the truth
We can never see each other again
Because of the safety issues
The walls came crashing down
Those skeletons came out of the closet
I really thought you were a catch
But I was naïve and void of knowledge
And know that I know the truth
I can finally forget and let you go
I might spot you in another life
Twenty, thirty years who knows
We’ll just nod and go our separate ways
Not wanting to start anything anew
It was nice knowing you again
I’ll always have that perfect first memory of you