Perhaps you have had one of those moments, somewhere between wake and sleep, when you enter a magic realm, and it feels as if a long time has passed, but you are surprised to find it was only a few moments of clock time. This playful poem is about that magic realm, a land of fantastic beings and magic moves, a fantasy world where I am free to fly as a bird or swim like a fish! What world waits for you when you enter that space between waking and sleeping?

Death has been a long-time companion to me in writing , starting in 1977 as the key figure in an unpublished fiction trilogy,  "A Game With Death."  Nothing puts things in perspective more than death. Here's an interesting exercise: Imagine Death comes to you, hands you a letter, and you are surprised to find it is your own last words.  What do you imagine you might read?

Numerous benefits derive from being in a state of gratitude. When we truly consider how lucky we are simply to be alive, when we receive the gifts of life with thanks giving, when we transform our suffering into lessons for living and love of life, we enter a magic kingdom and live a blessed life.  Gratitude may be the best antidote to the cynicism of the modern world.

As a teenager, before departing on my first airplane trip alone, I bought a copy of a Science Fiction magazine that included a short story about a man that stopped time by experiencing the whole of his life, from birth to death, all-at-once. The idea fascinated me and has been with me since. Here is my poetic translation of this idea: How wide is your embrace for your own life?

On the surface, my life is an odd mix of glamorous travel and mundane moments. But the real adventure, for me, is inside: living in a world teetering on the edge of imagination, filled with unfounded dangers and fantastic delights, found even in the simplest acts. I imagine myself to be an everyday adventurer finding treasures in the mundane moments of life.   Are you a treasure hunter? What treasure do you seek in life? 

A major thrust of my life has been based on the Greek Dictum, "know Thyself." In many ways,  I have totally failed in this endeavor, but it has not been without its rewards. For me, the most important gift form this effort is to let what is within me find expression through poetry and writing. How do you unmask yourself? How do you turn the mirror inside out?