I have a special announcement. Based on overwhelming feedback, = the poetry page on my website www.robertraber.com will get its first posting = on Friday April 4, 2008.

My poetry was launched the way most people’s poetry is = launched: high school senior year creative writing class. The assignment was = “write five original pieces of poetry.” Pretty simple stuff eh? Of course = I got an A on the assignment. I was on the honor roll in high school. =

Over the years I went back and created more poems. At one point = I had enough to compile a book. Okay it was a half-inch three ring binder with = a group of plastic sleeves holding a print out of each poem. I even went = so far as to do some typesetting so each poem and a “look and feel” = on the page. I titled it “Random Emotions From An Over-Worked = Mind”.

Let me frame your expectations for this original poetry. None of = this stuff is remotely Maya Angelou, Billy Collins, Robert Frost, or Henry = David Thoreau. It will never be required reading along with Beowulf, the = Divine Comedy, or The Canterbury Tales. Don’t look for a sonnet, a = pantoum, or a villanelle. Some of it will make you snicker and most of it will make = you say “Yikes I didn’t know Robert was such an emotional = wreck”. I’ll include a brief snapshot of what, when, or who was the muse = behind each submission. This way I don’t have to do any explaining = later.

For me the biggest question I found in reviewing the pieces was “what happened to that guy?” I mean this in the sense of the = things that you lose over time: innocence, adventure, improvisation, desire, = courage. The feelings that you get when you listen to “Born to Run” = while going over the Driscoll Bridge. (This = reference placed to meet the requirements of residing in New Jersey. If I was living in = Canada, I would have quoted “Red Barchetta”). =

I don’t write near as much poetry as I once did. = It’s been at least a year since any kind of new composition. Hopefully posting = some items from the vault will bring about new inspiration. I promise to share it = with all of you.

Feel free to send me any questions about the pieces. Hope you = enjoy them.

(I did not provide any links in this posting on purpose. Go = Forth and Search!)