This is just a quick blog to recognize and thank the wonderful ladies in my life. In a time when loneliness could destroy me, these women have come through and been the pillars of my sanity, grounding me in reality though my mind is a storm of doubt, loneliness, and fear...

Thanks Lucy, my beloved truck, for faithfully accompanying me everywhere I go.

Thank you Louise, my keyboard, you respond perfectly to my fingers, reminding me that I know how to touch and feel, and saying things I could never say without you. Our relationship is young, but passionate and infinitely enjoyable.

and to Elise, my guitar, my oh my how beautiful your curves and sweet your voice - often my traveling companion, and the lady who reminded me that music never lets you down.

these sweet women, though much less romantic and soft than a real human lady, are very much bastions of hope and they protect the love and hope that I want to give to whomever shows up to help me tread these waters, and to walk ashore in love and peace. That lady will have much to thank these three for keeping me sane and keeping me hoping for romance and companionship.

it's often the little things that keep us fighting to surface when otherwise we would drown..



here's another of my poetic ramblings as well; since poetry is not very marketable these days, i'm thankful there is a blog world out there. hope someone enjoys this or realizes that someone has gone through the things they have... loneliness will be overcome in time. never give up on hoping that someone will find you. out of the 3 billion or so of us out there, someone somewhere knows what you feel like...

Feathers Underwater

where does loneliness lose my trail?
where in this world does hope still prevail for me?
with whom will the noise cease to pound against my soul
like quarter sized hail leaving pain like hot coals?
the wind strips through me;
isolation trying to undo me;
and even my own mind hurls insults and accusations.
I'd give everything I ever thought I needed to know
for a few intense months with some intoxicating soul;
my mattress I'd trade for a hand I could hold -
the shoes off my feet for two arms open wide -
see all this junk; the things that I've wanted;
the things that I've wasted and the things I have flaunted
are like feathers underwater or a firehose in the sea-
to someone who has no one with whom he can just be.



don't ever give up. faith, hope, and love - always

Quiet Down!

There is a comment that I am thankful for from His Dearest attached to the last blog. It reminded me how little wisdom I actually have, and since then I've been trying to listen more and speak less. And hopefully enjoy the flowers along the way.

Life can be a tempest,
even if you are alone.




maybe especially if so...











God is always there for us, waiting for us, but oh how we need each other when we can't find him. It's odd that these are the times when we are most often alone-





and sometimes just an empty street is
enough to get you by.
just a place to rest your feet...
sometimes it takes all I have to
remember i'm not alone.
sometimes i don't even have that much.

but there's been enough light in my life
to remember the warmth of the glow,
so still I walk forward,
waiting for something to get through to me,
for someone to stop and shake me,
for a heart warm enough to melt me.
when the excitement is not present,
I pray I will not be defeated
by loneliness.


never give up on love,
never say die,
"never leave lonely alone" ( ben harper )


dan

hats

just thought this image was cool. found the hat for an amazing $5 but it didn't fit. after tossing it on the cobblestones for someone else to find, i saw the opportunity for a good picture.

if i could only take off the hats I wear, mostly woven of my strange fears and my imagination, life would be alot more fun. Jesus loves you people. thanks for checking it out. the blogs gotten a little slow, I know. it comes from my rare connections to the internet. smile and love; hope always.

dan

Mystery of Future Romance

From the response I've gotten to my poetry, maybe more writing is in the future for me. Thank you all very much for your compliments. No major comments from the starving artist today, just that I hope there really is someone like this out there for me. I told someone else to try this, and figured I ought to take my own advice.
hope someone enjoys it.
dan




Where are you?
Through all this pain
I hear you.
Your hair dances
like a melody on the breeze,
framing your face
with joyful noise.
Your eyes show your strength-
like a river wild running,
carving a path through
a world made of stone.
Your lips are something too
tempting to touch-
when I get there,
will I dare to?
Arms reaching,
pleading - never begging-
that one eyebrow raised
makes me wonder
if maybe I'll get tickled,
and the reassuring smile
reminds me I'll not know
until I'm caught in a fit of laughter
and then after, maybe you'll hold me
or maybe you'll run.
I imagine the light in your face-
long for your embrace,
all the while that sweet voice,
reminding me that
there is a choice-
that rewards come from fighting
and working
and praying;
where are you?
Though I can't see you
I hear you,
waiting for me there,
wanting me before you have known me,
the way I want you now;
saving all the kisses
you would have blown me,
as you sent me out to
take on the day
with all the love that I'd need
if you were already mine.
time stands between us
so I can only imagine us
in green fields with clean air
and countless hours without a care
because each carries the others' burdens-
and fills in the holes
that we've made on our own.

Time for Change

Moment of Calm

wind, calm here at the ground;
up above it is pushing round
clouds of blue and gold, silver -
limitless hues of colors unnamed;
they swim together, unknowing -
purposeless except that we enjoy them
for the beauty they are showing.
birds fly across a painters dream;
seas of glory bearing no seams.
and do they know how wonderful their roads are?
do they look up and count the stars
as they travel for food, for safety, for young -
why did he look up?
why did he call for me?
of all the busy things we create,
there's something more to see.
that sky; the wind, still as a lover's gaze -
drew him away; called down into the maze
and reminded us both that there is something else.
such a moment, such a scene -
not cold nor hot, but distinctly serene -
can take the pain from the moment,
the fear from the fight;
remind us why we search for the light.



This poem was written after my father called me out onto the patio (pronounced pat ee oh) to look at the remnants of the season's first tropical storm. The clouds had dissipated, and all danger from the storm was gone now that it had made it all the way up to memphis. But it made for a beautiful sunset, the clouds reflecting all the colors of the rainbow, and in such a vivid way that it is impossible to discribe. The light reflected off the clouds made the grass look greener, the bricks on the house redder; basically multiplied the visual impact of colors even on the ground. It was as if the scene from that patio had been transported into some beautiful tropical setting - it made for quite a moment. Even in the drab surroundings of a retail driven city that straddles the interstate, radiant beauty shows up for tea every once in a while.

It made me think of all the things I take for granted as the days go by; all the flowers I never stopped to smell, and I was thankful to share something like that with my dad, regardless of our differences. It was good for me to notice the art of our God and Creator, and remember how small and imperfect the things I create are compared with his indescribable, unimaginable pallete.

back home, so more posts soon I hope; I have much to do and alot of growing and learning is way up there. thanks for checking this stuff out.
Smile, and look for the light. Love always

dan

Some New Art and Perspective in Degrees

It's been longer than a week so maybe I'll make up for lack of quantity with some quality; that's the hope anyway.

btw, you can stop or browse the music that started when you got here at page bottom!


So I got some more art to put up; the sketches are weeks old, the paintings are all new. When we are kids, there is something fascinating about superheroes. Comics, cartoons, and movies portray characters who have been given massive abilities and are thereby shouldered with the burden of protecting the good things in life. The heroics and often the human side of these characters inspire us to think in positive ways about our own gifts and talents. While we cannot lift trucks or fly like an eagle through the air, we can all do something that can inspire or help the people we come in contact with to live better lives. This despite our being human and all the natural flaws that come with that fact.



The best comics and superhero stories to me remind us not only to use our skills for the good of others, but that we have flaws that must be managed and worked through, like Wolverine's great care for others' safety balanced with a raging temper he constantly battles, for instance.

So I've made a little progress in my life and with some of the issues that cloud my mind, and I am learning that 'perspective' in life ( the way we view things ) can only be changed in degrees. Our progress must be made in tiny steps, as we live in an illusion that makes life seem like a long thing. In truth it's a breath ( see Fraser's songs in the new playlist @ page bottom, ) a whisper, but that doesn't change the fact that I have to work right now, in this moment, to make the next one ( and the way I accept and use it ) better.

These two are from an idea my dad gave me. The pictures' elements are framed by the random, natural patterns found in the woodgrain. They are painted in watercolor directly on raw wood.


And these two are a new idea, using washes for the background, and alot of texture in the acrylic paint, then using japanese ink to add contrast and 'lift' some of the elements off the canvass to show even more depth.





Last note: if anyone has any connections or advice in the freelance art and/or illustration fields, information would be greatly appreciated. I've got to find a way to increase income and share this art. It would be AMAZING to work at something like this and create income while sharing. thanks.

email is: danmarsh1@gmail.com
Hope you like the artwork. It will be another week ( got some work... ) before I get another chance to post. Pray for me if you think about it. Things aren't easy, but my perspective is better more often and I have to have faith that that alone will help.

love, faith, perseverance, and never lose hope in your life. a great song : shower the people by James Taylor. Till the next post - Dan