: About Me

It has been a long journey becoming the man I am today. The poet and writer of essays. It has taken far to long to discover this I might add. But perhaps not. Perhaps all the trials ,the good times, the bad, the mistakes I have made, are what was necessary so I could perform the duties of a poet and essayist. To give me the experience necessary to qualify me to write on various subjects. To see the world with a poets vision. Who knows?

I was born in New Haven Ct. part of the "Baby Boomer" generation if you will. From my Mother I learned how to view the world with empathy. It would prove over the years a blessing, and a curse. From my father I would learn honesty, Integrity, objectivity, and the importance of standing firm on principles. I regret deeply I did not understand his stoic nature .The lack of displays of affection. I always knew he was essentially a good man. A blue collar, hard working man, doing the best he could to provide for his family. I just didn't understand back then, growing up, how much he truly loved my mother and his children. If I had maybe things would have been different. Again who knows?

I started my education at St Michael's Catholic parochial school. They taught me a lot in the short years I was there before moving to North Branford and into the public school system. The philosophy of questioning authority I learned there would get me in a lot of trouble in High school.(LOL) Seems in public school the indoctrination of conformity was more important then any endeavors at individuality.

I had my first experiences at writing there. I was on the school newspaper. I mainly wrote about the schools various sports teams. It was the next best thing to being on the teams. Seems my love of sports far outweighed my abilities to actually play them.

I was asked by the local paper, the North Branford Review, to submit some work there. They published some of my work, it was so cool seeing my name in the By line.

As I mentioned my farther was a blue collar guy. College was not in the plan. He could not afford to pay for it and saw no need of it. High school seemed to be enough. Especially from North Branford High. Back then it was claimed that to graduate from there was equivalent to two years in college.

And there was always my grandfather's business to take over when " Papa" retired . He had a hardware store and moved into auto radio repair when he could no longer compete with the emerging department store chains.I spent a lot of my youth and much of my teenage years playing, and working in that store. I miss him deeply.

Amazing man my grandfather. Only a third grade education, but many are the times found an electrical engineer calling to consult him on problems he could not solve. Some radios he had designed would have glitches in them he could not fix or find. My grandfather could and did. Every time. I learned tenacity and individuality from him.

After high school I went to work at Pratt& Whitney aircraft. I worked in the mail room. Thought at one time I would work my way up the corporate ladder.

I attended New Haven College nights . With a major in economics and a minor in American literature. I had a 4.0 grade average in what at the time was considered the premier business college in New England.

Then Viet Nam would change my life forever. Answering Kennedy's "...Ask not what..." call , I left college and joined the army. I survived unscathed physically from Nam. Make no mistake, I was no hero. Not even close. Don't think that for one second. After Nam and after the army I would make several attempts to go back to school. Just couldn't fit in .

And the loss of my fiance in a car accident didn't do much to help me along either.

I drifted from job to job. From factory jobs, to sales, to food service, a whole host of occupations,I went about aimless. Just doing what I did in Viet Nam -survive.

Married twice, Had four children by the first two wives. Screwed those up. My greatest failures. And now the source of some, unknown at the time , wisdom. We do if we let ourselves be honest learn from our mistakes. It might take a while but it is possible.

I am now married a third time, this one I am not screwing up. We have been together now over 20 years. With luck and God's grace it will last till we leave this world , and I love her so much I know it will be beyond.

This is a short version of my life. A look into who I am, where I came from. It is what has made me into what I am today. No longer do I see myself as a failure. I am what I am, And that is a poet. An essayist. Good one or bad matters not to me. I endeavor to do the best I can. I just finally know what I need to do and am doing it. Period, end of story. (well not quite ,LOL!)

My passion is ...

Bavarian cream donuts from dunkin doughnuts

I know too much about ...

War,Death,Pain,Suffering,Failure,Myself

My parents always told me ...

GO TO BED!

My childhood ambition ...

SURVIVE IT!

My favorite memory ...

every moment i ever spent with my mother

Why I write ...

if i dont the little demon poems in my head would eat thier way out and leave me a vegetable

Politics, News & Issues > Pulitzer Center What would be the most dramatic difference, in terms of U.S. foreign policy, between a President John McCain and a President Barack Obama?

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Setting aside other foreign policy issues a president has to deal with, such as, Immigration issues with Mexico, troubles in Dakfur, or Zimbabwe, China and Taiwan, Korea and Japan. I would like to speak of the dramatic differences between the two , only using the backdrop of the most prevalent issues under discussion at present; Iraqi, and the, So called "War on Terror." With those only in mind, I will address potential dramatic differences between Obama and McCain's possible Foreign policies. No doubt, one significant dramatic difference will be how the world interprets, whatever policy e...

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