Poetry and Soul Work

This is jumping ahead but not too far after the first piece in this series. My Editor and little does he know my second poetry mentor as it were, is in the process of printing has released his second collection of his work Compos Mentis. His first collection Liminal Minim is also available which is a must read for any up and coming poet. I will review it properly here soonish. Make sure to suss those out and I will place them in the library as well.

Fast forward and the girl I mentioned before in my original post in this series of insane events has moved on to better things. I was hurt by this. I cannot lie about that. With that said, things happen for a reason. I truly believe that; with this last occurrence, it opened the door so to speak. I’ve definitively realized many things about myself from the experiences I’ve had within the last few months.

Letting Go

From regrettably losing more than one friend I believed was lifelong, all the way to my reptile book publisher disappearing. All of this occurs during the same period where the company I was doing IT/Office Management for summarily closed without warning. I was literally writing payroll checks on a Wednesday and I notice there’s a gentleman outside taping a paper to the doors. I approach him and ask

“Is there something I can help you with chief?”
“Nope just posting these signs.”

Said signs were from the property landlord and informed those who read it that the building was being locked for non-payment of rent. I then meet the landlord and she informs that if I have any personal property inside now would be the time to collect it. I grab the checkbook and the signature stamp, then begin walking to my apartment while calling the management staff.

Jumping ahead again a few weeks now. There’s been multiple calls, messages, and even dialogue exchanged between the owner, myself, and the management staff as well. The owner decided that since the business was locked out that he didn’t have any obligation to pay his staff for the time they had worked previously. Nor did he think it relevant to acknowledge anyone after a week or so with regards to their back pay.  At least one person I know of lost their new car they were purchasing and I thought I myself was going to lose my apartment because the simple fact was I burned through every bit of money I had. Many people will ask ‘Why weren’t you prepared?’ which is a completely valid question.

Here’s the deal, I know first hand what it’s like to own and operate a business. Many times payroll was late, it was eventually paid. I believed in the company, we all did. So we were willing to roll with the punches. During those periods I would use my savings and because pay was so sporadic there was never an opportunity to replace used funds. Within a few weeks it was quite obvious no one was going to get the owed monies. Something to keep in mind, at this juncture; I’m supposed to be paying my rent on a weekly basis as my landlord is very familiar with the fishing industry and the fluctuations which can and often do occur throughout the industry due to weather and various other aspects beyond human control.

“They call it fishing and not catching for a reason.”

Rent and the Hereafter

I spoke with my landlord and what happened next is definitely in the vein of the recurring theme of ‘You cannot make this shit up’ which is the odd saga of my life. I explained to him about the fish job I had and how we’d summarily been locked out, I’d burned through my savings, and I was for lack of a better term proverbially screwed.

Without batting eye (I swear he didn’t blink during my story) he says to me

“Ain’t nobody going to starve on my watch. We will start you a tab at the market and we’ll work out the rent when you can.”

I literally almost broke down in tears of thankfulness. Here was this man who didn’t know me from Adam and he was willing to allow to me eat and house myself on his dime.  Just after this someone close enough to me to considered Tribe contacted me out of the blue and helped me out as well without expectation of reciprocation. I was going to make this regardless of what happened. I called my original employer whom you will read about later on a Saturday and left a message that I was seeking employment. They called me back on Sunday and asked if I could start in a couple weeks.

Three days later they called again and requested I come into the office so as to begin working the following Monday.

Poetry and Soul Work

My poetry publisher understands more than I that poetry for a creative is indeed working from the soul. You cannot force it, as they say with love and farts if you have to force it it’s probably shite. I’ve written literally thousands of poems ranging the gambit of life itself. Some of the published works are regarding my

‘Jazz and sex days’

As my editor puts it. With the upcoming collection I was asked to perform a few tasks to place me into the mindset for selection of works held to the theme of what I wanted to achieve. I was all about that and was working on just those works when my life saga would once again evolve without my consent as I’ve explained above. More recently I’ve succumbed to being more honest than I’ve ever been in my existence with someone. Instead of withholding details I tell her everything and she accepts who I was and who I am now. My ‘soul work’ has taken a very different tack. I am all the better for this new evolution of me and I am writing the most honest of works I have ever done in my life.