People often ask me why I put so much effort into this challenge each year. It is as simple and as complex as this. I want to create something which may outlast my time in this world. None of these are great and immortal verse, yet if there is something in one of them which is recalled after the initial reading, or a drawing which crosses the viewer’s mind down the road, then I have taken a step on the road to a more lasting legacy. Today’s poem speaks to that quest for immortality through one’s body of work. Enjoy!

Why Do I Try?

I am an artist this I know,

With scars upon my soul.

Of every work that I create,

For each must take it’s toll.

Whether fine verse, image or prose,

I seek with every page,

A record of some part of me,

To last beyond my age.

I highly doubt that I shall find,

Posterity I’d claim,

For though some few enjoy my craft,

I’m far from any fame.

I can’t resist the visions, they,

Come crashing through my mind,

So once more I set pen to page,

Perhaps this time to find.

Some secret I have missed ‘til now,

With which to make my mark,

Lest I remain forever lost,

In long forgotten dark.

Cheers,