we drove down
to austin
to see some of
our writer friends
and so a fool
could do a panel
on being insane
in a mad, mad world

it was a blur
a who’s who of
independent horror
twisted minds in
the sweetest people
the hands which
have shaped this
community a rogue
poet finds himself
accepted within

i met two people
who showed me that
writing and stories
were only limited
by your own mind
got to tell them
the impact they made
and hear the tales
of how they got there

this life can be
a manic dream flying
at the speed of light
yet sometimes
i can see the currents
and i am blinded by
the sheer majesty
to have found family
kindred spirits in
the talented brains
of visionaries unafraid
to push the boundaries
of what could be

a day removed
the surreal nimbus
still hovers heavily
near dissociative
but i know it
actually happened
i spent the day
happily standing
amongst the giants
a tiny little fool
with a smile threatening
to break his stupid face