Just from bad luck, I was given an abusive family. For my own safety, I had to divorce myself from them. This was not what I wanted, but nothing else could be done and I was in danger. I wish that things could be different sometimes, but that's how it is.

But, I believe that my loving husband and some choice friends are my family. As well as my puppy, who unfortunately had to stay with my blood relations... which was out of my power. But I build a family from true and loving individuals that I meet and cherish. Friendships and kindness mean a lot to me, and I treat those who are good to me and others as family. But I've had to be selective. The family unit is sacred.

"Death is the Mother of Beauty" -Wallace Stevens

I find art in pain as frequently as I find art in beauty. It seems grim, but it doesn't have to be.

What are all the possible effects of my action? What is the universal moral code? Does this hold up against logic? Where is everyone?

Learning about people, cultures, history, and the like always puts me in a creative place. On my travels, I found that the more people I met, places I explored, and stories I read about the region the more rich my poetry became. Learning about the world around me always sparks otherworldly experiences. I wanted to tell everyone about what I had learned, what the people had been through, and why it matters.

Today, by my husband. I think people can fall into speech patterns and "zone out" the things their loved one's say, not because of apathy but because of assumption. It's so easy to assume that you know someone well enough, but no one is known so well that they should not be heard. Of course, my husband and I tune each other out occassionally when we're making idle conversation (and sometimes just sounds and word combinations), but whenever I really need to communicate something to him, he listens completely and lovingly. I think, as a writer, I used to under-value the power of the spoken word. My childhood was marked by negligence and it is quite a change for me to be with someone who wants to hear me. Being with him has reminded me that it is important to speak, especially when there is someone listening.