OK, so maybe there will be two books of poetry. I’m probably about 80 percent of the way through the archives, and I have more than 80 pieces. It blows me away to see how much verse I’ve written in the last 27 years—the oldest pieces date back to ‘91. So much of it is simply bad, but quite a lot of it is worth sharing, which I will do. Here’s an old favorite from the boozing days, back when people never got to know the real me; rather, they got to know the person I wanted them to think I was. It’s such a stressful way to live life, and I’m so glad I made it through those days; today, no matter what you think of me, it’s the real me you’re forming that opinion of. It’s so much better to live life this way; I don’t think I’d make it if I had to live with the pretenses these days.
Be well, my friends. We’ll talk soon.
***
“Façade”
Behind locked doors, alone,
finally home
from what you call a stage
and society calls life.
The masks come down;
exit jester and clown.
Left to deal with the lies
from which you shield
your audience’s eyes.
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Published by paulelmo
I am a West Virginia writer relocated to Pennsylvania. My wife, Becky, and I are raising two wonderful boys, Finnegan, ten, and Simon, six.
Dear friends,
Welcome to our website.
I am a Christian and a bartender. An alcoholic in recovery and a passionate lover of music, my writing reflects these things.
I began writing regularly in the early to mid-90s, and I have worked toward being a full-time freelance writer since then. During my time as a bartender, I did go back to school, obtaining a BA from West Virginia State University, graduating Magna, learning a second language, publishing, and editing.
Since then, it has been more writing toward the freelance goal. I'm making some headway too; I'm writing financial technology (fintech) analysis for Lending Times and about to expand that role with the company's forthcoming publication, Blockchain Times. This has brought a new flavor to my thoughts, and don't be surprised when you come upon something about blockchain tech, Ethereum, or bitcoin among these pages.
I appreciate you stopping by. If you're not sure what you're looking for, you can scroll down to the search field and search "What to read on here" (Don't use the quotation marks), and you'll see a list of posts that I feel represent the website well.
Thanks. I look forward to hearing any thoughts you have.
Until soon.
Paul Keenan
Orrtanna, PA
1/23/2018
View all posts by paulelmo
I hear this on several levels in varying voices. Some my own.
Thanks Paul. thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Steve; I appreciate you reading and commenting. Be well.