"An Old Friend"

I met an old friend,
but has she changed now
Is she still into me,
or has it all gone down
I never forgot the way she touched me
My world came apart
and I'm still breaking.

Why'd you go away?
Did you think of me,
---While you were gone?

Please hold onto me,
I feel I'm slipping
A little further in need,
the scales are tipping.
I've lost all control, my breath escapes me
I'm in love once again, so inspirating

Why'd you go away?
Did you think of me,
---While you were gone?

Inside
I hide
My words
Inside
I die
For her

So reckless and wild,
I'll take my chances
An old friend to a child,
Yesterday's romances
Please hold onto me, I'm still shaking
Don't you let go again, recreate me.

Why'd you go away?
Did you think of me,
---While you were gone?

"In Honor Of..." (Part II)

After books, my second great love and probably the most influential factor in my life, was and is music.

Growing up my Mom, my Dad and My Step-Dad were always playing a variety of music. The styles ranged from Tchaikovsky, to Carly Simon, to Ozzy Osborne. Probably the most musically diverse was (and is) my Dad. I remember traveling all around the country with him and as we drove he would play all kinds of music. Much of it was from obscure bands or at least compared to the more "popular" music but I was exposed to the Police, R.E.M. and even Metallica through my Dad's collection.

At that time, music was only a part of the background. It was fun to sing along and try to decipher lyrics but its full impact didn't hit me until I was like 9 or 10...

I remember finding a copy of Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Bank by The Beatles in the floorboard of my Step-Dad's car. It was in those moments of my first listening that music reached into the depths of me and touched my soul. The album took me to new heights and pulled me down into heartache. Never had I experienced an emotional roller coaster like the one Lennon, McCarthy, Starr and Harrison took me on that day. It was the Beatles who made me fall in love with music.

From that point on the affair has only blossomed, the power of music never ceasing to incite my passions. While my tastes are diverse and I believe that music is music, each style unique and possessing the ability to speak to me in many different ways. I take pleasure from listening to Al Green, Guns'N'Roses and Dr. Dre. Johnny Cash inspires me as much as Korn or NOFX. Of course, I have my favorites so, if anyone cares here are my 10 favorite albums, 10 favorite songs and 10 favorite artists in no particular order. Maybe someone discovers something new or opens the door to something unexpected.

10 Favorite Albums:

* Radiohead - OK Computer
* Nirvana - In Utero
* Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
* Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral
* Alice in Chains - Dirt
* Deftones - White Pony
* Tool - Aenima
* Mudvayne - The End of All Things to Come
* The Beatles - Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
* Sublime - 40oz. to Freedom

10 Favorite Songs:

* "Lithium" - Nirvana
* "Disamrm" - Smashing Pumpkins
* "Nutshell" - Alice in Chains
* "Landslide" - Fleetwood Mac
* "High & Dry" - Radiohead
* "Passenger" - Deftones
* "Changes" - David Bowie
* "Hurt" - Nine Inch Nails
* "My Life" - The Beatles
* "Tourniquet" - Marilyn Manson

10 Favorite Artists

* Nirvana
* Radiohead
* Alice in Chains
* Tool/ A Perfect Circle
* Deftones
* Smashing Pumpkins
* The Beatles
* Nine Inch Nails
* Jim Morrison/ The Doors
* Sublime

"Forget & Forgive"

The light in the distance seems to fade
Alone once again with my pain
The wind blows and there I go
Softly struck by tears from yesterday.

It's not enough that I've broken myself into two
I had to go and pour it all out onto you
Whatever I've done, I have done in my ignorance
I'm sorry for that, I'm sorry for not making sense.

Forget and Forgive
Live and let live
Forget and Forgive
This I did not intend
But my eyes were blind
To the pain you felt inside.

It's not enough that I've broken your heart once or twice
I've never done one good thing in my life
If it all comes down let it all come down onto me
'Cause what I deserve is more than just not to be.

Forget and Forgive
Live and let live
Forget and Forgive
This I did not intend
But my eyes were blind
To the pain you felt inside.

The light in the distance seems to fade
Alone once again with my pain
The wind blows and there I go
Softly struck by tears from yesterday.

"In Honor Of..." (Part I)

Our heroes are fading in this age of instant communication and fleeting moments of fame. Truly influencial and dynamic individuals are overshadowed by pop-culture phenomenon. We are losing our connection to the artistic mind.

I have always felt it is important to honor those who were most influencial in our lives. Those of us who seek to cause change or create were inspired by something and we should recognize those inspirational sources. Without them no change would have occurred in us and we could not become an inspiration to others.

Therefore, I would like to honor the sparks that started the fires of passion within me:

* Books - A comment was made by a reader (Wolfie) of my blog that reading had changed her and taught many lessons. I too found much within the pages of books. Reading was my first love and I devoured all I could get my hands on.

My earliest inspirations came from the Hardy Boys, The Chronicles of Narnia and Mad Magazine. I still remember the first "book" I wrote was a Hardy Boy/Encyclopedia Brownesque story of a boy who road his bike around solving mysteries. It was extremely derivative but it began the flow of creative juices.

From there I found Tolkien, King and Stan Lee. The realms of possibility opened to me and new worlds were revealed.

My love for good stories, interesting characters and the discovery of new worlds has continued to this day. Most recently it has been George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series andthe Twilight series that have hooked me and influenced my creative side.

I leave you with a list of my 10 favorite books. If you have missed any of them, I would recommend them highly.

* The Dialogues of Plato
* The Sirens of Titan - Kurt Vonnegut
* The Long Walk - Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman
* A Confedaracy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
* Animal Farm - George Orwell
* The Count of Monte Christo - Alexandre Dumas
* Song of Ice and Fire Series - George R.R. Martin
* Civil Disobedience - H.D. Thoreau
* The World According to Garp - John Irving
* Salem's Lot - Stephen King

"Disgusted"

Philosophically speaking,
I'm analytically thinking,
That politics is creeping,
Into my religion...

And with a poisoned blend,
I dose my way to the end,
Where all my worldly sins,
Are left unforgiven...

And if I look back to the past,
To see only fools,
How could I be wise,
Or know all the rules?

So, spiritually screaming,
I unleash my inner Demon,
That tiny voice of reason,
In a world of ignorance...

"Life Eternal"

True death comes when one loses passion, curiosity, desire, inspiration, will, hope and open mindedness for the spirit will live on if it possesses these virtues. Immortality is a possibility for all.

Let emotion fill you, for he who feels love, joy, hate, sorrow and fear is truly alive and has the ability to experience all things as they are meant to be. The passionate man sees to the depths of reality. Without passion, the spirit is dead and the body soon follows.

Those who continue to grow and expand their views, in order to encompass all understanding, gain access to the heights and open the doors to all possibility. It is the one who keeps seeking, that continues to find...But the mind that is without curiosity has ceased to function and begun to decay.

Open your mind to longing, for he who continues to want will continuously strive to obtain. Without desire there is no purpose and without purpose there is no more reason to live.

Seek out stimulation, for he who keeps himself active will have great impact and will cause many things to come into existence. When you no longer allow yourself to be inspired, the worms begin to eat away at you until nothing is left.

Be durable and impossible to break, stubborn in your convictions, for the one who stands firm and holds true will find all chains fall away and all doors become open before him. But without a strong will, oppression is your only fate and no light shall penetrate the darkness that is your destiny.

Always have faith that the good things will come, for the one who understands that bad times serve their purpose and will eventually pass, will never become discouraged and will manifest his own destiny. Without hope, there is only emptiness and eternal suffering.

Believe in nothing and believe in everything, for he who continues to excavate the architecture of the universe will uncover the gems hidden within. Love all things and hate all things as well, for he who can see the flaws in friends and admire the strengths in foes, knows there is purpose and that change is necessary. Without an open mind, blindness descends upon the spirit and death is immanent.

The mind is a weapon, let no one fine you unarmed. Those that are always prepared can never be taken by surprise. Those that have honed their weapons on the whetstone of life's virtues will continue to survive and mature.


Direct correspondences can be made to me at:

Daniel Jackson #1182398
Powhatan Correctional Center
State Farm, VA 23160

"If Love is a Splendid Thing (Then Why Aren't You Still Here)"

Wake up with a black lung,
And a cup of coffee...
Wonderin' where the night went;
And did it end
With pleasant dreams,
Fading memories...
Symphonies of your voice
Your touch on my skin

Shower, shave, dress for work,
But your scent still lingers.
Like the cool mornings mist,
So hard to resist.
These thoughts of you,
Though far too few,
Draw upon my reserves
Drag me down into bliss

If I make it through today,
Still gotta survive tomorrow,
And a life without you
Just won't do...

So, I come to you bleeding,
Begging and pleading,
Feeding off the hope,
That you feel this too

And if love is a splendid thing,
Then why aren't you still here...
'Cause, maybe only one of us feels this,
And maybe this is as real as it gets.

But if I'm wrong...
Then please come back.

"Live and Let Live"

The most dangerous sins to mankind are labeling and censorship. Labels create boxes and these boxes cause narrow viewpoints. These narrow minded views lead to racism, religious disputes and xenophobic attitudes. One must be able to keep an open-mind and have the vision to see beyond the limits of all possibility. In so doing, one may continue to evolve and achieve purpose.

When we begin down the path of censorship we begin to search for obscenity. But what is obscene to some, may not be so for others. Can any man judge my emotions or tastes? None but I can see what lies within me and the Divine Mind knows the path that leads to righteousness and truth is different for all. It is our duty to seek our own path and to express our emotions, while harming none and working to better the world we live in.

Take care, for when one begins to look for obscenity, one soon begins to find obscenity in all things. And where do witch hunts always end? With innocents strapped to execution pyres!

You must live your own life, not the lives of others. If something is found to be offensive to your tastes, or it is not enjoyable for you, then just ignore it. The only true obscenity, which cannot be ignored, is the forcing of ideals or beliefs upon another, or hindering another from the expression of their own ideals or beliefs. If one does not wish to see, hear, taste, smell or touch, then that person should be free to make that choice. But in now way should the person who is presenting the material, which may be found "offensive" to some, be restricted in the right to express. Nor should anyone who wishes to partake in the supposedly "offensive" material be restricted in that right.

Always remember, sometimes what one finds offensive, another may find inspirational. What was vulgar to the majority becomes standard and acceptable. Respect for someones right to express does not indicate you are in agreement. Tolerance does not indicate liking. Taking pleasure in something does not label you under a particular banner.

I am who I am, all things and nothing. The is to be, so be with every fiber and break the chains of classification. Regardless of circumstance, we are free people...Free to think, believe and choose whatever we desire. But we should always remember that our duty lies in the betterment of ourselves and all of humankind. Focus on what you can do, not on what others are or are not doing.

"The Prejudicial Court is Now in Session"

Hello again,
dear friend,
Been a long time
And yet...
I still hear you in my sleep.

The raspy growl of scars,
and the rattling thump of symphoric torture

You've bled me...

You've fed me...

You've given me over to the gods.

Judge me not,
Lest you find me lacking.