Happy Birthday Matt.

For many writing is the release of pain, source of gain, for me it is my prevention of the insane
I have learned through mentors of old
From the experiences of the wise
That true expression is not found from the restating of old men in ancient books
Instead the paper wet with ink, held by the hand is the pathway to sparks set off by gray matter
Congratulations on a four oh, but if your learning is limited to the memorization and regurgitation of books,
The expression of life has slipped through the sparks
When I was brought up the words of Whitman were not poetry
The lives of those who came years before me
The scribblings on a page of pain, of gain, the release from becoming insane
Poetry to me, is an expression of life
Whether it be stories of a thrown butter knife
The sights of a pained existence,
For these eyes and ears the illustration of a life constantly transformed
Is the reason why I write
We have seen a family torn, but flames can't kill us
Though we've had our share of burns and cuts (some by swords on palms of hands)
Brothers that have gone through much
Ever asked why?
I have
What I've decided is whether it be through life, speech or ink bleeding from this pen
These scars we carry tell a story
Your story, your poetry, has shown me that life is about expression,
I long to see what our next stanzas will contain...