I am in the habit of giving away copies of my poetic works while vacationing. On this year's vacation, a cruise through the Western Caribbean, I left a copy at the guest relations desk for the captain. Eric, the captain, was very gracious, inviting us to join him for dinner in the ship's Italian Restaurant. We were joined by his wife, Staff Captain and fiance, and a couple, one of whom had been on so many cruises he had lost count. Eric was so easy going it was hard to imagine that he was responsible for over fifteen-hundred crew members, as well as the twenty-five-hundred passengers. During the course of the meal the idea of a bridge tour was suggested, and plans were made to meet the next afternoon at "ten forward".

   Spending this much time with a captain of a ship reminded me of a poem that was lost in the third or fourth editing of Just Scribbled Words, back in '86. All i could remember of the poem was that it was written from the standpoint of a tree living on the seacoast and dreaming of being made into a ship "someday". The poem this month is what came from the captain's inspiration and the attempt to rewrite that poem. Though it did not come out as expected, it was a delightful experience, and i just may search my memory for some of the other five or six thousand that were discarded during that editing process.

   We are still open for submissions! All volumes for the year of 2005 must be completed before the end of April. Trying to balance editing and printing during a hectic paving schedule this past year proved to be too exhausting. If you, or someone you know, are interested in having your verse be an addition to this colorful and inspiring series, PLEASE submit as soon as possible.

   We are also looking for articles for this newsletter! If you have an essay on a poet, or form of poetry, we would be glad to run it here! Let us know!

   I, again, would like to remind all the Palace Poets that the poem and picture/art option for the newsletter is open to all. Maybe you could go through your photo albums in search of poetic inspiration. Maybe you will even find the whole idea enticing. A scrapbook of your life with accompanying verse might be quite the heirloom to leave behind! :)

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Hearthside Complacency

Over a hundred years

of seasons' come and go

Have seen my buds growing

bare branches holding snow



I've FELT ships sail by me

SEEN sails quick disappear

HEARD splashes on metal

yet trimmed with our veneer



Still the dream does linger

to proudly take my part

Sailor's hand upon me

my echo in his heart



But then came the woodsman

with smelly painful saw

Butchered me to pieces

as if i'd had a flaw



Eons claustrophobic

the burnt smell of my soul

Hunt for warmth and comfort

now eating up my whole



Thaw a child's cold fingers

light couple's rendezvous

'Tis not the worst of fates

or father of much rue



Yet that dream still haunts me

so hardened where it lies

They don't even notice

its crackle when it dies



to be in this years volume of Diary of a Poet (XVI) ©2005
thomas beal







Palace Poet XIX


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"If you wish to know me, read the notebook I carry in my bag."

Joanna Targett

Palace Poet XVIII



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"I think if I were ever asked to teach a poetry class my first lesson would be self-expression and the importance of being true to oneself, while using form and style to create a mystical, magical experience valued by the masses."

Trish McQueen

Palace Poet XX



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"While sometimes it is hard to adjust to change I am a firm believer, that everything that happens, big and small, happens for a reason. There is absolutely, no such thing as coincidence."

Jeralyn Klopotic

Palace Poet XXI



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Poetry Exercise

     The exercise this month is simple to find an old poem, or remember one, that did not meet up to your expectations and rewrite it. If it does not flow freely, ponder it occasionally for a few weeks and try it again. Let us know what you come up with! :)

     Have an exercise you created for improving your writing? Would you like to see it in this newsletter? Send it to

Poetry Palace

     Remember, if the exercise is easy, the benefit is minimal… :(

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Thank You, Again, For Your Visit!

"My mind is like a city of one way streets

all leading to its center.

Poems and parts of poems

and parts of possible poems

stampede frantically

in Twilight Zone redundancy

down each street

and i live

in the dust above the collision

unable

or willing

to control the bits of their shrapnel

as they tear through me

writing all that i can hold on to

long enough to slate.

I am not sure if i messed up the blueprints

or the construction

or if the city was already there waiting for me.

My best days are when i scribble frantically

or share those scribblings.

I guess that makes this one of my best days!!!





Thanx"



thomas beal

Palace Poet XIX