Author: Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

☆°▪︎ THE RELENTLESS ROAD (OF ECHOES) ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

I

.

went

.

.

d

o

w

n

.

.

that

.

road

.

w

h

e

r

e

.

the

.

shadows

.

roam . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

.

went

.

.

d

o

w

n

.

.

that

.

road

.

o

f

.

all

.

t

h

o

s

e

.

places,

–

–

I

.

used

.

t

o

.

go . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ all

.

t

h

o

s

e

.

places

–

–

I

.

used

.

t

o

.

go,

.

w

h

e

r

e

.

smoke,

.

a

n

d

.

sex,

.

a

n

d

.

blow,

–

–

would

.

fight

.

f

o

r

.

control

.

o

f

.

the

.

soul . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ they

would

.

fight

.

f

o

r

.

control

.

o

f

.

the

.

soul . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

smile,

.

a

n

d

.

moan,

.

a

n

d

.

echo . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

They

.

w

o

u

l

d

.

smile,

.

a

n

d

.

moan,

.

a

n

d

.

echo . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

They

.

w

o

u

l

d

.

smile,

.

a

n

d

.

moan,

.

a

n

d

.

echo . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

They

.

w

o

u

l

d

.

smile,

.

a

n

d

.

moan,

.

a

n

d

.

echo . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

.

.

.

I

.

again

.

w

o

u

l

d

.

go . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ yes,

I

.

again

.

w

o

u

l

d

.

go

.

back

.

.

d

o

w

n

.

.

that

.

road . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ I

would

.

g

o

.

back

.

.

d

o

w

n

.

.

that

.

road

.

o

f

.

smoke,

.

a

n

d

.

sex,

.

a

n

d

.

blow,

.

.

t

h

a

t

.

.

smiled,

.

a

n

d

.

moaned,

.

a

n

d

.

echoed . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

leading

.

f

a

r

.

away

.

f

r

o

m

.

home . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ leading

.

f

a

r

.

away

.

f

r

o

m

.

home . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

d

o

w

n

–

–

–

that

.

relentless

.

a

n

d

.

ravishing,

–

–

rapturous

.

road,

.

.

w

h

e

r

e

.

the

.

shadows

.

roam.

Reflection: This is a personal struggle-themed poem that I wrote back in July of 2022 where the affected party cannot seem to break out of a negative cycle of temptation flirtations that repeatedly consume the soul. I was looking back on the age of disco, and the rampant smoke, sex, drugs, drink, and such as the primary influence when writing this poem. I used the song “Rock On” by David Essex to play in the background at low volume to create the “moodset” for the poem. If you listen to the song at low volume while reading this poem, you might better get the “feel” of it.

☆°▪︎ BE BOLD AND GROW (TAKE THAT ROAD AND GO) ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

Never

plateau . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

Always

.

b

e

.

bold,

.

a

n

d

.

grow . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

Take

.

t

h

a

t

.

road

.

a

n

d

.

!go!

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ even

.

i

f

.

you

do

.

n

o

t

.

know . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ even

.

i

f

.

the

.

s

u

n

.

does

.

n

o

t

.

show . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ even

.

i

f

.

the

pace

–

–

seems

slow . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

you

feel

.

a

l

l

.

alone . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

Never

plateau . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

Never

plateau . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

Never

plateau . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

Always

.

b

e

.

bold,

.

a

n

d

.

grow . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

Take

.

t

h

a

t

.

road . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

Take

.

t

h

a

t

.

road . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

Take

.

t

h

a

t

.

road . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

!go!

–

–

–

.

.

.

!go!

–

–

–

.

.

.

!go!

Reflection:  This was a popular inspirational/hope-themed poem I wrote back in July of 2022. I wrote and posted the phrase: “Don’t plateau… Be bold and go!” and then added the word: “grow.” I then quickly turned that into a poem.

IT’S A GOOD TIME TO BUY FOR LONGER TERM INVESTORS

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

The IWM ETF (which tracks the Russell 2000 index) has dropped about 40% from its previous high. So, it looks like a pretty good time to buy for longer term investors. The IWM (and the Russell 2000 for that matter) might drop even more if we actually experience a recession (this index usually falls first and the hardest during recessions but is generally the first and the fastest to recover).

Regardless of whether we experience a recession or not, the IWM (and Russell 2000) is likely to recover its previous high within 3 years or so. If you’re thinking a 40% gain in 3 years sounds pretty good, then do your math again. Because it would be more like a 67% gain which is very substantial. Even if the IWM took 10 years to get back to even (which would be a very rare occurrence), that would be a 6.7% gain every year which is a pretty decent gain.

If you like technology stocks then the QQQ, which tracks the Nasdaq, has also dropped about 40% from its previous high which means it will also experience about a 67% gain once it gets back to its previous high.

Another thing you can do is split money between IWM and QQQ if that is your preference or buy over several days, weeks, or months. The only problem with that might be when they recover they generally rise sharply so you might miss out on some of the early gains if that happens.

You’re Welcome.

You can learn about all of my investing techniques via my “Invest Like a Pro in 10 Minutes a Day!” series of 4 books where you can learn the “end to end” process to investing and gain key investing insights and skills (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books…/)

Also, you can read all about my stock market activities here: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/stock-market-activities/

I wish you much success in creating a brighter financial future for yourself, your loved ones, and those who follow.

Happy investing everyone!

#finance #stocks #investing #stockmarket #success

☆°▪︎ THE ROUGH AND RUGGED ROAD (WHERE ONLY SHADOWS GO) ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

You

might

.

a

t

.

times,

–

–

feel

.

s

o

.

cold

.

a

n

d

.

alone . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

all

.

along

.

t

h

a

t

.

rough

.

a

n

d

.

rugged

.

road . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ all

along

.

t

h

a

t

.

rough

.

a

n

d

.

rugged

.

road . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

leading

lower,

–

–

than

lower,

–

–

than

low . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

where

.

only

.

t

h

e

.

shadows

.

go . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

b

u

t

–

–

–

I

.

w

a

n

t

.

you

.

t

o

.

know . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

.

w

i

l

l

.

always

.

b

e

.

there

.

t

o

.

hold

.

t

h

e

.

end

.

o

f

.

the

.

rope . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

will

.

never

.

l

e

t

.

go . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ I

.

w

i

l

l

.

never

.

l

e

t

.

go . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

o

r

–

–

–

no

matter

.

how

far,

.

.

o

r

.

.

how

low,

.

o

r

.

how

deep

–

–

you

go . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

.

w

i

l

l

.

always

.

b

e

.

there

.

a

t

.

the

.

crossroads . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

will

.

gently

–

–

tow,

.

a

n

d

.

tug,

.

a

n

d

.

tow . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

.

w

i

l

l

.

tow,

.

a

n

d

.

tug,

.

a

n

d

.

tow . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

.

w

i

l

l

.

tow,

.

a

n

d

.

tug,

.

a

n

d

.

tow . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

.

w

i

l

l

.

tow,

.

a

n

d

.

tug,

.

a

n

d

.

tow . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

u

n

t

i

l

–

–

–

you

.

release

.

t

h

a

t

.

heavy

.

load,

.

.

a

n

d

.

.

are

.

ready

.

t

o

.

go . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ even

when

.

t

h

e

.

journey

.

i

s

.

painful

.

a

n

d

.

slow . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ even

when

–

–

there’s

.

nothing

.

b

u

t

.

sleet

.

a

n

d

.

snow . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ even

after

–

–

blow,

.

u

p

o

n

.

blow,

.

u

p

o

n

.

blow . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

w

i

t

h

–

–

–

nothing

.

b

u

t

.

shame

.

t

o

.

show . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

o

r

–

–

–

there

.

i

s

.

never

.

a

.

place

.

s

o

.

devoid

.

o

f

.

soul,

.

.

t

h

a

t

.

.

you

.

c

o

u

l

d

.

go . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

which

.

w

o

u

l

d

.

shake

.

m

y

.

boundless

.

belief

.

o

f

.

hope . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

t

h

a

t

.

.

.

I

.

w

i

l

l

.

tug

.

a

n

d

.

tow . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

tug

.

a

n

d

.

tow . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

tug

.

a

n

d

.

tow . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

t

h

e

–

–

–

end

.

o

f

.

that

.

rope . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

t

–

–

–

the

.

crossroads . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

someday

.

bring

.

y

o

u

.

home.

Reflection: This was a popular inspirational/hope-themed poem I wrote back in July of 2022 to reflect a strong and undying commitment of helping someone through his or her life-struggle until a brighter time arrives. I used the song “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” by The Hollies to play in the background at low volume to create the “moodset” for the poem. If you listen to the song at low volume while reading this poem, you might better get the “feel” of it.

☆°▪︎ TUNED INTO THE MOON (I THOUGHT ABOUT YOU) ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

I

.

thought

.

a

b

o

u

t

.

you,

–

–

when

.

I

.

turned

.

a

n

d

.

tuned

.

i

n

t

o

.

the

.

moon . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ I

turned

.

a

n

d

.

tuned

.

i

n

t

o

.

the

.

moon,

.

.

a

n

d

.

.

moved

.

d

o

w

n

.

those

.

avenues,

–

–

where

.

dreams

.

a

r

e

.

brewed

.

i

n

t

o

.

the

.

blues . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ I

moved

.

d

o

w

n

.

those

.

avenues,

–

–

where

.

dreams

.

a

r

e

.

brewed

.

i

n

t

o

.

the

.

blues

.

o

f

.

truth . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

then,

.

.

I

.

thought

.

a

b

o

u

t

.

you . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

.

thought

.

a

b

o

u

t

.

you,

–

–

who

.

w

a

s

.

always

.

one

.

o

f

.

the

.

few,

.

.

I

.

did

.

n

o

t

.

have

.

t

o

.

choose

.

o

r

.

prove . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

.

thought

.

a

b

o

u

t

.

you,

–

–

who

.

w

a

s

.

one

.

o

f

.

the

.

few,

–

–

who

.

always

.

h

a

d

.

the

.

time

.

a

n

d

.

the

.

room . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ you

always

.

h

a

d

.

the

.

time

.

a

n

d

.

the

.

room

.

f

o

r

.

fools,

–

–

who

.

lose

.

a

n

d

.

choose

.

t

o

.

brood . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ they

lose

.

a

n

d

.

choose

.

t

o

.

brood . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

only

.

remember

.

w

h

e

n

.

they

.

turn

.

a

n

d

.

tune

.

i

n

t

o

.

the

.

moon . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ they

turn

.

a

n

d

.

tune

.

i

n

t

o

.

the

.

moon . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

move

.

d

o

w

n

.

those

.

avenues,

–

–

where

.

dreams

.

a

r

e

.

brewed

.

i

n

t

o

.

the

.

blues . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ they

move

.

d

o

w

n

.

those

.

avenues,

–

–

where

.

dreams

.

a

r

e

.

brewed

.

i

n

t

o

.

the

.

blues

.

o

f

.

truth . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

an

.

old

.

b

u

t

.

warm

.

a

n

d

.

welcome

.

youth,

–

–

resumes

.

a

n

d

.

becomes

.

new . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

w

i

t

h

–

–

–

too

.

much

.

a

n

d

.

too

.

many

.

t

o

.

pursue . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ that

old

.

b

u

t

.

warm

.

a

n

d

.

welcome

.

youth,

–

–

resumes

.

a

n

d

.

becomes

.

new . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

w

i

t

h

–

–

–

too

.

much

.

a

n

d

.

too

.

many

.

t

o

.

pursue . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

o

r

–

–

–

those

–

–

who

.

move

.

d

o

w

n

.

the

.

avenues,

–

–

where

.

dreams

.

a

r

e

.

brewed

.

i

n

t

o

.

the

.

blues . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ for

fools

.

w

h

o

.

lose,

.

a

n

d

.

choose

.

t

o

.

brood . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ for

fools

.

w

h

o

.

lose,

.

a

n

d

.

choose

.

t

o

.

brood . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ for

fools

.

w

h

o

.

lose,

.

a

n

d

.

choose

.

t

o

.

brood

.

d

o

w

n

.

those

.

avenues . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

then,

–

–

turn

.

a

n

d

.

tune

.

i

n

t

o

.

the

.

moon . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ they

turn

.

a

n

d

.

tune

.

i

n

t

o

.

the

.

moon . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

think

.

a

b

o

u

t

.

you.

Reflection: This was a reflective-themed poem that I wrote back in August of 2022 where the contemplator looks back on a wonderful experience he or she had with someone in the past – whether a friendship, romance, or something else. I played the wonderful song “Feels So Good” by Chuck Mangione (especially the more melancholic intro to the album version of the song) and the poem pretty much wrote itself from that (playing the song repeatedly on low volume to create the “moodset” for the poem). It was written fairly quickly – like a couple of hours or so. If you listen to the song at low volume while reading this poem, you might better get the “feel” of it.

☆°▪︎ THE DAYS OF CHAMPAGNE ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

The

sunset

fades

–

–

those

carefree

days

.

o

f

.

passionate

plays

.

a

n

d

.

shimmering

champagnes . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ the

carefree

days

.

o

f

.

passionate

plays

.

a

n

d

.

shimmering

champagnes

–

–

that

somehow

–

–

got

away . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ they

somehow

–

–

got

away . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

those

carefree

days

.

o

f

.

passionate

plays

.

a

n

d

.

shimmering

champagnes . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ the

carefree

days

.

o

f

.

passionate

plays

.

a

n

d

.

shimmering

champagnes

–

–

that

time

erased . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

i

n

–

–

–

those

yesterdays

–

–

that

got

away . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ they

got

away

.

a

n

d

.

time

erased . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

b

u

t

.

.

.

I

can

sometimes

–

–

still

see

–

–

the

pristine

places

.

a

n

d

.

the

smiling

faces . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ I

can

sometimes

–

–

still

see

–

–

the

pristine

places

.

a

n

d

.

the

smiling

faces . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

even

feel

the

–

–

warm

embraces . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ yes,

I

can

–

–

even

feel

–

–

the

warm

embraces . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

i

n

–

–

–

those

carefree

days

.

o

f

.

passionate

plays

.

a

n

d

.

shimmering

champagnes

–

–

that

somehow

–

–

got

away.

Reflection:  I was playing the wonderful song “Times of Your Life” by Paul Anka and the poem pretty much wrote itself – when I played the song repeatedly on low volume to create the “moodset” for the poem. The poem was written fairly quickly – like an hour or so. If you listen to the song at low volume while reading this poem, you might better get the “feel” of it.

HOW TO LOSE YOUR SHIRT IN THE STOCK MARKET WITHOUT LOSING YOUR SHORTS TOO (PART THREE)!

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

It’s always a good idea to adjust your investment strategies over time. Those of you who have been following me closely know that I’ve had a real “knack” over the past 9 months or so for picking losing stocks. However, I have generally refused to let them go and have continued buying into them as the buy signals get stronger with every drop, and they became more and more attractive, with respect to all of the indicators I use to make investment decisions. And, as usual, I generally refuse to sell on “buy” signals and frequently do the opposite. I wrote about this back in March and April and didn’t realize at the time that this would become a multi-part series but I suppose that is how things are playing out for this year. Because, here it is months later and I am still fighting the downs and ups and downs of what has been a highly volatile stock market this year (most of which have been downs).

The fight continues but it appears some of the strategies I’m using are actually helping. The new strategy I am employing involves rotating out of the stocks which appear to be less favorable in nature and buying into new stocks which appear to be highly favorable in nature – even when the stocks I’m selling are carrying heavy losses. Now, many people might question such a move and be inclined to just hold the stocks long enough for a gain to be realized. However, the tax loss harvesting strategy I wrote about previously and the fact that I would stand to have an effective “gain” of about 24% based on my current tax bracket by selling these more unfavorable stocks (even if no further gains were realized in my portfolio) combined with the potential for much stronger gains by switching to much more favorable stocks, then the potential gains from here might be pretty substantial.

Is there any guarantee that the above strategy will work? Of course not. Investing is primarily about making decisions based on various indicators, the associated likelihoods, and employing effective strategies accordingly. So, at best you can position yourself for a potential favorable return, but there is never a guarantee.

I’m presently still a high risk investor (much to my dismay), but not nearly as extreme as I was back in March and April. As a result of all the buying I have done, I have moved from being a low risk investor (back in 2021) to a high risk investor. The low point for me so far this year was when I was 142% invested (yes – I was using margin) and down 41.19% for 2022 (and down 44% since September/October 2021). Presently, I am 97% invested and down 30.62% for 2022 (and down 33% since September/October 2021).

I haven’t been overly concerned with having a negative return for 2022 because all of the major stock market indexes are getting hammered this year so far (the recent lows being a 24% loss for the S&P 500 Index, a 34% loss for the NASDAQ, and a 28% loss for the Russell 2000) and even the ultimate, safe haven, low risk investment (the bond market) has gotten hammered with a highly unusual 11% loss. Eventually, the market indexes will recover and so will most of the stocks I’m holding. I would be more concerned if I was experiencing substantial losses while the major market indexes were showing significant gains.

You can read about the buy and sell strategies I’ve been using in Part One and Part Two of this series. I am mostly using the same strategies throughout the rises and falls in stock prices no matter what the cycles might turn out to be. If the stocks are dropping, I’m tending to buy more. And if they are rising, I’m tending to sell more. The only exception is the new strategy I’m currently employing where I am taking realized losses and rotating out of less favorable stocks and buying into more favorable ones.

I’m happy I’ve been modifying my investment strategies. It seems to be paying off. This is something you always want to get into the practice of doing. Observe what happens and make adjustments to your investment strategies so that you can work towards improving your investment performance over time in accordance with your risk profile. I happen to presently be a low risk investor (although right now I am temporarily high risk) but many of you will probably be higher risk investors. So, your investment strategies will probably be a bit more aggressive than mine.

You can be a very successful investor if you effectively use all of the tools and techniques available to maximize your investment returns. It’s been an interesting investing experiment I’ve been running so far for 2022. We’ll see how things go.

You can learn about all of my investing techniques via my “Invest Like a Pro in 10 Minutes a Day!” series of 4 books where you can learn the “end to end” process to investing and gain key investing insights and skills (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books…/)

Also, you can read all about my stock market activities here: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/stock-market-activities/

I wish you much success in creating a brighter financial future for yourself, your loved ones, and those who follow.

Happy investing everyone!

#finance #stocks #investing #stockmarket #success

☆°▪︎ THE CANDLELIGHT CAFE ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

I

love

.

t

h

e

.

rain

–

–

upon

.

t

h

e

.

window

panes

.

o

f

.

that

cozy,

–

–

candlelight

cafe . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ that

cozy,

–

–

candlelight

cafe

–

–

where

we

–

–

could

stay

.

a

n

d

.

get

away . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

We

–

–

could

stay

.

a

n

d

.

get

away

.

i

n

.

that

cozy,

–

–

candlelight

cafe . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ get

away

.

f

r

o

m

.

the

pain . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ get

away

.

f

r

o

m

.

the

blame . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ get

away

.

f

r

o

m

.

the

same,

–

o

l

d

–

same . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

We

could

stay

.

a

n

d

.

embrace

.

i

n

.

a

place

–

–

far

away . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ far

away

.

f

r

o

m

.

the

plans,

.

a

n

d

.

hopes,

.

a

n

d

.

dreams

–

–

that

would

–

–

flame,

.

a

n

d

.

flicker,

.

a

n

d

.

fade . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ far

away

.

f

r

o

m

.

the

debts

–

–

we

would

–

–

accumulate

.

a

n

d

.

pay . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

pay

.

a

n

d

.

accumulate . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

again,

.

a

n

d

.

again,

.

a

n

d

.

again . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ far

away

.

f

r

o

m

.

all

.

t

h

e

.

reasons

.

a

n

d

.

ways

–

–

we

felt

.

s

o

.

ashamed

.

a

n

d

.

thought

.

w

e

.

had

.

t

o

.

find

.

a

.

place

.

t

o

.

pray . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ far

away

.

f

r

o

m

.

the

things

–

–

they

–

–

might

do

.

o

r

.

say . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

i

f

–

–

–

they

knew

–

–

we

felt

–

–

this

way . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ if

–

–

they

knew

–

–

we

felt

–

–

this

way . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

love

.

t

h

e

.

rain

–

–

upon

.

t

h

e

.

window

panes . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

love

.

t

h

e

.

rain

–

–

upon

.

t

h

e

.

window

panes . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

love

.

t

h

e

.

rain

–

–

upon

.

t

h

e

.

window

panes . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

o

f

–

–

–

that

cozy,

–

–

candlelight

cafe . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ that

cozy,

–

–

candlelight

cafe . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

where

we

–

–

could

embrace,

.

a

n

d

.

stay,

.

a

n

d

.

get

away.

Reflection: This poem is written as a reflection on a forbidden romance. I wrote this poem using a much-loved 70s song (“Me and Mrs. Jones” by Billy Paul). So, if you listen to the song at low volume while reading this poem, you might better get the “feel” of it. It only took me a couple of hours to write it which is unusually fast when I write poetry.

☆°▪︎ ALMOST MINE (WHEN EVERYTHING RHYMED) ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

There

once

.

w

a

s

.

a

place . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

there

once

.

w

a

s

.

a

time . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

when

it

.

w

a

s

.

almost

mine . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ it

.

w

a

s

.

almost

mine . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

It

.

w

a

s

.

almost

mine . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

i

n

–

–

–

the

days

.

o

f

.

grand

design . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ it

.

w

a

s

.

almost

mine . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

It

.

w

a

s

.

almost

mine . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

w

h

e

n

–

–

–

everything

smiled

.

a

n

d

.

rhymed . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

Everything

smiled

.

a

n

d

.

everything

rhymed . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

Everything

smiled

.

a

n

d

.

everything

rhymed . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

Everything

smiled

.

a

n

d

.

everything

rhymed . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

it

.

w

a

s

.

easy

.

t

o

.

decide . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

s

o

–

–

–

yes,

–

–

there

once

.

w

a

s

.

a

place . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

there

once

.

w

a

s

.

a

time . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

when

it

.

w

a

s

.

almost

mine.

Reflection: This was a melancholy-themed poem that I wrote back in June of 2022 where the contemplator looks back on a once-in-a-lifetime experience, romance, success, or opportunity where he could have gotten exactly what he or she wanted at the time but didn’t for whatever reason and is now taunted and haunted by the memory.

I played the wonderful song “Could It Be Magic” by Barry Manilow, and the poem pretty much wrote itself from that (playing the song repeatedly on low volume to create the “moodset” for the poem). It was written fairly quickly – like a half an hour or so. I didn’t feel the need to continue reflecting on it and tweaking the words like I usually do. It just felt complete, so I immediately published it. If you listen to the song at low volume while reading this poem, you might better get the “feel” of it.

☆°▪︎ THE CROWN (COUNTING DOWN) ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

The

crowd

.

w

a

s

.

all

around . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

s

–

–

–

you

wore

.

t

h

a

t

.

crown . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

The

crowd

.

w

a

s

.

all

around . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

w

h

e

n

–

–

–

I 

hit

.

t

h

e

.

ground . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I 

hit

.

t

h

e

.

ground . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

i

n

–

–

–

the

middle

.

o

f

.

that

round . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I 

hit

.

t

h

e

.

ground . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

i

n

–

–

–

the

middle

.

o

f

.

that

round . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I 

hit

.

t

h

e

.

ground . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

i

n

–

–

–

the

middle

.

o

f

.

that

round . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

w

i

t

h

–

–

–

the

memories

–

–

counting

down.

Reflection: This was a melancholy-themed poem that I wrote back in June of 2022 where the contemplator comes to the realization that when his or her romantic relationship is put to the test, it turns out to not be nearly as strong or solid as previously thought. This poem came to me at a party where I observed couples being surrounded by the temptations of the moment. I pondered how many relationships ended as a result of such parties and events.