Okay, I’m going to say it right up front: I’m not a poet, regardless of what the words at the top of this page say. At least not in the creative, free verse, word painting style of so many wonderful poets. I’ve tried writing that style of poetry and when I read it back to myself, it sounds like someone trying really hard to sound like a poet.
I’m more of a storyteller, and I’m more comfortable with verse that rhymes in an understandable way. In some regard that aligns me more with songwriters than poets, and I think that’s okay because somewhere back in school one of my literature texts contained “poetry” (song lyrics) by Bob Dylan. And to be honest, my favorite modern poets are the songwriters who can tell a life story or explain a broken heart in three or four well-crafted verses and a bridge. Also, I’ve always looked West rather than East, so much of what I’ve written has a frontier theme.