Back to basics, and beyond…

On occasion, we must revert to something we've previously known, and hopefully learned from, to transcend into something new.  Of late, I've been struggling with editing "Back Track" mostly due to stubborn physical limitations not behaving. It's those times I take advantage of to review, to re-learn if you will, things of past which at the time were of hope and encouragement to me. Much of that is poetry and it is well known I'm a huge fan of Poe. He's famous for his romantic sonnets of length, and for his darkness of epic forms, but he was also quite insightful into human nature.  My vintage 1975 reprint of the original copy write from 1938 of “Complete Tales & Poems of Edgar Allan Poe” serves me well when I need a Poe fix. The spine bends from overuse and  the pages are worn, yellowed, and quite fragile. It’s one of my most prized books.

In “The Masque of the Red Death”, in true eloquent Poe fashion, he flamboyantly tells the tale of the Prince Prospero, obviously a man of means and wealth.  The stately Prince was paranoid of the plague known as Red Death.  Resolute to make certain he escaped this bloody, unforgiving, instantaneous death, he built himself an ornate walled seclusion, a castle of sorts, to segregate himself.  But, being alone in his ostentatious magnificence had it‘s drawback, so he decided  to throw the grandest of balls, face masks and all.  After much lacing of fine garb, decorative masks, heavy flowing robes of fine cloth, and spirited party with his august guests, entry of a gaunt, polarizing figure brings everyone to a standstill.  Prince Prospero was at first startled amid gasps, then became angry with a fiery, red furrowed brow and demanded this intruder be revealed and disposed of, violently.  Before anyone could take such action, they were vaporized by the exact plague Prince Prospero had built his seclusion to escape the grasp of. 

It’s a short story, one of my favorite kind, but tells the moral of no matter how we try to shield ourselves from the outside world and counter influences to our detriment, we can’t always escape the evil. What to do, then? Live everyday to the fullest! I’m working on doing just that. I always wonder, if we knew today could be our last on this earth, what would we do? What is most important for us to leave as our legacy? All I’ve ever really wanted was for people to say…”she was a nice person”.  And, that I love music.  And reading.  And writing… :)

I get by with a little help from my friends…

A very special thank you to my special “Refreshments” pal Tracy Nichols.  He’s a busy man what with working “Management By Design” in Mesa, AZ.  He took the time to send me some rare “Refreshments” recordings of shows they did way back when…ah, to have known and loved them when they were playing together.  Sadly, I didn’t discover the bands music until long after the band members had parted ways.  A truly magical foursome that made some awesome music together.  That kind of magic is rare, and a true gift.  Thank you ever so much, Tracy! I’m enjoying my new CD’s of music that truly soothes my soul  :)

Hugs to everybody today, my fellow Poe admirers!  If you’re not yet a Poe admirer, I hope you will get yourself some Poe to engulf in.  It’s what I turn to when nothing else will quench my literary thirst.  If Poe isn’t your genre, you can download “Bright Lights, Money & Show Biz, Honey” today at Smashwords.  Use coupon code GL37U to get a free copy in any form suitable for your reading pleasure and I hope you enjoy.  I’ve officially said adios to exclusive rights with Amazon, although my books are still available there, I’m no longer exclusive.  “Random Encounters” is also available at Smashwords and I’m working on other outlets as well, but at the moment don’t see a need to go to the trouble.  Smashwords has every available version, so if you need Kindle, Nook, Reader, or a simple PDF to download to your computer, it’s there.  Amazon still has the Kindle for PC if that suits your fancy.  Click on the links to the right side of the page to take you there.  I also have the old fashioned book (with pages!) at my website along with a PDF version as well.  So many choices! I hope one suits your reading pleasure.

 *Hugs* ~ K