About 20 years ago I started to dabble in writing poetry while in graduate school. When recently cleaning out old boxes from two moves ago, I stumbled across below initial attempts stuffed in one of the many manilla file folders of old college notes bound for the trash can. I capture these here for posterity to show some of my original themes that began floating around in my head and heart at that time. They are not dated and my best guess is they came about sometime in 1993. The paper smells musty and has indentations across the top of each that seem to be from a metal spiral notebook–both pages even have rust in the long forgotten indentations. Enjoy the poems just as I left them many years ago.
Duality
Poetry or Prose
Both or neither
One or other
I pick so you decide. I have had to
work my body to be fit, work my brain
to be smart, or was it the other way?
My wife reminds, “You need a balance!”
So don’t go overboard.
I eat, study, sleep.
I eat, body build, study, sleep.
I eat, teach, study, body build, sleep.
I used to be either this or that
Now I am who am I?
I am who I am and I do what I do
and I’m happy.
CHARADE
Two words
are said–
both mask
The inner
self
sleeps,
for truth
is not
reflected in
these utterances
And so
the message
is a
mask,
a false
one that’s
received
The other
seeks to
understand
this message
gone awry–
and does
Throwing back
one masked
as well
Now
the original
intent
being lost,
Time and tears
tear at the
many masks
Until,
one
takes a
chance
and reveals
the inner self–
its slumber
now
interrupted
The truth
is
spoken and
masks soon
fall
as love
is
understood
Two words
are said–
both reveal
©tales0397
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Fairytale Poetry 
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