. . . The fact was I was in high literary spirits, just then. I had been harassed and worried for a whole year in the office of Literature, a weekly paper published by the times, and getting free again, I felt like a prisoner released from chains; ready to dance in letters to any extent. Forthwith I thought of �A Great Romance�, a highly elaborate and elaborated piece of work, full of the strangest and rarest things. I have forgotten how it was that this design broke down; but I found by experiment that the great romance was to go on that brave shelf of the unwritten books, the shelf where all the splendid books are to be found in their golden bindings. . .
- Arthur Machen , circa 1922-

I have many books upon that shelf myself, dear Arthur, and am honored to have my (un)work in such fine company.

Indeed, I have no idea how many "great romances" of my own are languishing in the space behind my eyes. They remain there not for lack of ability, I think, but for lack of drive or discipline. Even now, the tale of poor Jarny lies incomplete and perilously close to that brave shelf of unwritten books, marked in my mind by that gray and mocking stone upon which are engraved the words, Work in Progress.

Some things, however, do find their ways out of my head. No, I am not referring to these blog entries or to the reviews I write at such commercial sites as Amazon or, more recently, Epinions , but what I refer to as my work - consisting primarily of small fictions and poetry in various styles (free verse, lyric, haiku and tanka for a few instances).Some times these courageous offspring of my imagination even go on to lead successful lives as published pieces (see the links to the left under My Words on the Web for a few examples).

In an effort to share those ideas that do make it out of my thick head and into the world with a wider audience, I am hereby launching (as I said I might) a new feature here at Notes from a Life in Progress - The Poetry Clique. Just click on the clique (to your left, beneath EXPLORE) and you will be taken to a page, to be updated on a more-or-less regular basis, containing one or more of my poems. I would like to think that this is not a purely ego driven endeavor, but that I am , perhaps, entertaining and/or enlightening potential readers.

Enjoy!