If
you
.
d
o
.
nothing
.
t
o
.
appear . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
o
r
–
–
–
make
.
i
t
.
seem
–
–
you
.
w
e
r
e
.
here . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
t
h
e
n
–
–
–
you’ll
.
o
n
l
y
.
disappear.
Reflection: This tiny poem was inspired by Kevin Morby’s song: “Disappearing.” I played this song in the background to create the “moodset” and inspire the writing of the poem. If you listen to the song at low volume while reading this poem, you might better get the “feel” of it.
It
must
.
h
a
v
e
.
been
fun,
.
w
i
t
h
.
all
.
o
f
.
the
drink,
.
a
n
d
.
drugs . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
It
must
.
h
a
v
e
.
been
fun,
.
w
i
t
h
.
all
.
o
f
.
those
pages
.
o
n
.
the
run . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
It
must
.
h
a
v
e
.
been
fun,
–
–
hearing
.
t
h
e
.
starting
gun
–
–
without
.
t
h
e
.
sun . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
l
o
n
g
–
–
–
after
.
t
h
e
.
day
.
w
a
s
.
done . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
It
must
.
h
a
v
e
.
been
fun
.
f
o
r
.
those,
–
–
once
younger
.
t
o
.
be
perceived
–
–
much
older . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
a
n
d
–
–
–
for
those
–
–
once
cooler
.
t
o
.
be
perceived
–
–
much
colder . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
They
became
–
–
much
older . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
a
n
d
–
–
–
they
became
–
–
much
colder . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
They
became
–
–
much
older . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
a
n
d
–
–
–
they
became
–
–
much
colder . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
They
became
–
–
much
older . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
a
n
d
–
–
–
they
became
–
–
much
colder
–
–
t
h
a
n
–
–
the
rest . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
w
i
t
h
–
–
–
all
.
o
f
.
that
fuss,
.
a
n
d
.
fun,
.
a
n
d
.
pages
.
o
n
.
the
run . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ with
all
.
o
f
.
that
buzz,
.
a
n
d
.
rush,
.
a
n
d
.
lust
–
–
without
.
t
h
e
.
sun.
Reflection: This was a personal struggle-themed poem that I wrote back in June of 2022 where the contemplator looks back on some of the observed whirlwind experiences of the past – and the resulting impacts and consequences. I wrote most of the poem while out one night. It was written fairly quickly – like 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.
Didn’t
.
w
e
.
live
.
a
.
life
.
full
.
o
f
.
cheer . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
Didn’t
.
w
e
.
live
.
a
.
life
.
s
o
.
dear . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
racing
ahead
–
–
when
nothing
.
w
a
s
.
clear . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
pulling
away
.
f
r
o
m
.
a
past
.
s
t
i
l
l
.
drawing
near . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
burning
.
f
o
r
.
the
.
lead . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
burning
.
f
o
r
.
the
.
lead . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
burning
.
f
o
r
.
the
.
lead . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
b
u
t
–
–
–
still
arriving
.
a
t
.
the
rear . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
s
o
–
–
–
we
speed,
.
a
n
d
.
steer,
.
a
n
d
.
veer . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
We
speed,
.
a
n
d
.
steer,
.
a
n
d
.
veer . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
We
speed,
.
a
n
d
.
steer,
.
a
n
d
.
veer . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
again,
.
a
n
d
.
again,
.
a
n
d
.
again . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
burning
.
f
o
r
.
the
.
lead . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
burning
.
f
o
r
.
the
.
lead . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
burning
.
f
o
r
.
the
.
lead . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
outrunning
.
t
h
e
.
fears . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
outrunning
.
t
h
e
.
tears . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
a
n
d
–
–
–
outrunning
.
t
h
e
.
mirrors . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
Always
leaving
.
b
u
t
.
never
here . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
Always
leaving
.
b
u
t
.
never
here . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
Always
leaving
.
b
u
t
.
never
here . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
outrunning
.
t
h
e
.
fears . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
outrunning
.
t
h
e
.
tears . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
outrunning
.
t
h
e
.
mirrors . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
a
n
d
–
–
–
outrunning
.
t
h
e
.
years . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
We
outrun
.
t
h
e
.
years . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
We
outrun
.
t
h
e
.
years . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
We
outrun
.
t
h
e
.
years . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
burning
.
f
o
r
.
the
.
lead . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
burning
.
f
o
r
.
the
.
lead . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
burning
.
f
o
r
.
the
.
lead . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
b
u
t
–
–
–
still
arriving
.
a
t
.
the
rear . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ we
arrive
.
a
t
.
the
rear . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
a
n
d
–
–
–
then . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
(again)
–
–
–
.
.
.
we
end
.
u
p
.
here.
Reflection: This was an energetic, personal struggle-themed poem that I wrote back in May of 2022 where the affected party eagerly strives to get ahead in a life that consumes – ending up in a place where his/her entire life experience has been the pursuit but not much more resulting in a lifelong journey filled with the blur of vacant spaces all along the way. I was playing the song “London Thunder” by The Foals when the following lines came to mind: “Always leaving but never here.” (the actual lyrics were: “Always leaving, never you.”) – so I modified it slightly. The poem pretty much wrote itself from there. 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 an hour or so to write it which is unusually fast when I write poetry.
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 7 months or so for picking losing stocks. However, I refuse to let them go. And I continue buying into them because the buy signals keep getting stronger and 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 refuse to sell on “buy” signals and frequently do the opposite. I wrote about this back in March 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. Because, here it is a month and a half 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. I’m still presently a high risk investor (much to my dismay), but not nearly as extreme as I was back in March. As a result of all the buying I have done, I moved from being a low risk investor to a high risk investor. The low point for me so far this year was 14 March when I was 140% invested (yes – I was using margin) and down 30.34% for 2022 (and down 34% since September/October 2021). Presently, I am 92% invested and down 20.65% for 2022 (and down 24% since September/October 2021). Although, the present 21% loss I am experiencing is substantial, it comes as each of the major indexes have either retested (in the case of the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ) or closed below their March lows (in the case of the Russell 2000 index). The last time the major indexes experienced these lows (back in March) my losses were far greater than they are right now. So, things are improving and moving in a positive direction.
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 13% loss for the S&P 500 Index, a 20% loss for the NASDAQ, and a 16% loss for the Russell 2000) and even the ultimate, safe haven, low risk investment (the bond market) has gotten hammered with a highly unusual 8% 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 of this series. I am 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 buying more. And if they are rising, I’m selling more. I continue the process until I get to the point where I am either “all in” (including margin – at least for now) or exit the positions completely.
I’m happy I’ve been modifying my investment strategies. It really 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
I
.
g
r
e
w
.
up
.
i
n
.
a
.
time,
–
–
where
.
fast
.
f
o
o
d
.
bags
.
a
n
d
.
glass
.
bottles
.
w
o
u
l
d
.
carelessly
.
fly
.
f
r
o
m
.
cars
.
driving
.
by . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ I
.
g
r
e
w
.
up
.
i
n
.
a
.
time . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
I
.
g
r
e
w
.
up
.
i
n
.
a
.
time,
–
–
where
.
t
h
e
.
truth
.
t
o
l
d
.
lies,
.
a
n
d
.
even
.
goodness
–
–
sometimes
.
denied
.
a
n
d
.
closed
.
i
t
s
.
eyes
.
t
o
.
the
.
uglier
.
sides . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ I
.
g
r
e
w
.
up
.
i
n
.
a
.
time . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
So,
.
when
.
y
o
u
.
reflect
.
o
n
.
the
.
past,
.
.
a
n
d
.
.
tell
.
me
.
o
f
.
all
.
t
h
e
.
golden
.
times
.
i
t
.
had,
–
–
which
.
did
.
n
o
t
.
last . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
I
.
can
.
o
n
l
y
.
ponder
.
why,
.
.
y
o
u
.
.
would
.
want
.
t
o
.
believe
.
t
h
o
s
e
.
lies . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ I
can
.
o
n
l
y
.
ponder
.
why,
.
.
y
o
u
.
.
would
.
decide
.
t
o
.
die
.
b
y
.
living
.
a
.
p
a
s
t
.
life,
–
–
instead
.
o
f
.
living
.
i
n
.
the
.
light
.
o
f
.
the
.
present,
.
.
a
n
d
.
.
a
.
future
.
that
.
i
s
.
wide
.
a
n
d
.
high,
.
.
a
n
d
.
.
brighter
.
t
h
a
n
.
bright . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
I
.
can
.
o
n
l
y
.
ponder
.
why . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
I
.
can
.
o
n
l
y
.
ponder
.
why . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
I
.
can
.
o
n
l
y
.
ponder
.
why . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
f
o
r
.
.
.
I
.
g
r
e
w
.
up
.
i
n
.
a
.
time,
–
–
which
.
w
a
s
.
far
.
l
e
s
s
.
kind . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
a
n
d
.
.
.
I
.
g
r
e
w
.
up
.
i
n
.
a
.
time,
–
–
which
.
paid
.
t
o
o
.
little
.
mind.
Reflection: This was a reflective-themed poem that I wrote back in April of 2022 where the contemplator questions and is conflicted by the mindless commonplace reflections on the “good ole days.” I was playing the song “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” by George Harrison and other 70s songs on my 1973-1975 playlist when the opening lines came to me. The poem pretty much wrote itself from there. 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 an hour or so to write it which is unusually fast when I write poetry.
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 6 months for picking losing stocks. However, I refuse to let them go. And I continue buying into them because the buy signals keep getting stronger and 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 is usual, I refuse to sell on “buy” signals and frequently do the opposite.
As a result of all the buying I have done, I moved from being a low risk investor to an extremely high risk investor. This can happen from time-to-time and as long as I don’t remain a high risk investor for a long period of time, then that’s probably okay. I haven’t been too concerned because I’ve liked the patient approach I’d been using. And, frequently, losing stocks become leading stocks over time and stocks that continually get clobbered usually experience very strong reversals. So, I keep buying into them.
The low point for me so far this year was Monday (4 days ago – 14 March). I was 140% invested (yes – I was using margin) and down 30.34% for 2022 (and down 34% since September/October 2021). Ordinarily, as a low-risk investor I would rarely be anywhere close to 100% invested in the stock market (much less over-invested). But I was not willing to go down without a fight. And so far it has paid off handsomely. As of today, I am down 9.31% for the year and am 106% invested. So, that’s a huge, 21 percentage point gain in only 4 days. So, I’m very happy about this relatively speaking. It feels like victory even if it’s truly not in terms of me not earning any positive returns so far in 2022.
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 13% loss for the S&P 500 Index, a 20% loss for the NASDAQ, and a 14% loss for the Russell 2000). And 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.
Now, a couple of years ago, I would have been “all in” several months ago and have been two or three times more negative using the strategies I had detailed in my “Invest Like a Pro in 10 Minutes a Day!” series of 4 books (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books…/). And these might still be very good strategies to use for higher risk investors. But for low risk investors, they may not be. So, I’m very thankful that I modified my approaches quite a bit since then so that I have a chance to experience shallower losses (relatively speaking) and recover from these.
The approach I’m presently using to buy into falling stocks is the following:
The approach I am presently using to sell the gains is the following:
So, I am currently using the above process throughout the rises and falls in the stock price no matter what the cycles might turn out to be. If the stock is dropping, I’m buying more. And if it is rising, I’m selling more. I continue the process until I get to the point where I am either “all in” (including margin – at least for now) or exit the position completely.
The above strategy has really worked out well so far. Using my previous strategy, I would have been a much more aggressive buyer on the drops which would have led to much deeper losses and a much longer recovery time.
I’m happy that I modified my investment strategy back in September/October 2021. And this 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.
Another thing I am doing in 2022 to maximize my investment returns is performing tax loss harvesting strategies to offset my realized gains and minimize my tax burden. This essentially, involves selling some of your losses to offset your gains. You can read all about my tax loss harvesting strategies here: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/maximize-stock-market-returns-by-performing-tax-loss-harvesting-to-minimize-tax-burden/
To the extent possible, what I plan to do in 2022 to maximize my investment returns will be to hold off on selling until the individual lots of the stocks I purchased passes the one year mark. I rarely do this because I tend to take substantial gains as they happen (and I might continue this practice if the gains are compelling enough). However, if I am successful in waiting a year before selling gains, then I’ll only have to pay 15% taxes on those gains instead of my typical 24% tax bracket. So, the tax incentive is huge for waiting on selling your gains if you have that kind of patience. Often, I don’t. But we’ll see what happens. I know I’ll have to do some additional selling soon since I’m presently 106% invested which is much too high for a low risk investor. But I’ll probably get there eventually.
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 #taxes
It
is
.
t
h
e
.
smile
.
o
f
.
springtime
–
–
which
brings
–
–
those
tears
.
t
o
.
my
eyes . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
beyond
.
t
h
e
.
thawing
.
o
f
.
all
.
t
h
e
.
cold,
.
a
n
d
.
snow,
.
a
n
d
.
ice . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
a
n
d
–
–
–
sunshine
reaching
wide
–
–
across
.
t
h
e
.
warm
.
a
n
d
.
welcome
skies . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ they
tell
.
m
e
.
everything
.
i
s
.
going
.
t
o
.
be
alright . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
a
n
d
–
–
–
that
I
have
–
–
left
.
t
h
a
t
.
dark
.
a
n
d
.
dismal
.
p
a
s
t
.
behind . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
I
have
–
–
left
.
t
h
a
t
.
dark
–
a
n
d
–
dismal
.
p
a
s
t
.
behind . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
I
have
–
–
left
.
t
h
a
t
.
dark
–
a
n
d
–
dismal
.
p
a
s
t
.
behind . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
I
have
–
–
left
.
t
h
a
t
.
dark
–
a
n
d
–
dismal
.
p
a
s
t
.
behind . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
because
.
t
h
e
.
smile
.
o
f
.
springtime
–
–
brings
tears
.
t
o
.
my
eyes . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
a
n
d
–
–
–
sunshine
reaches
wide
–
–
across
.
t
h
e
.
warm
.
a
n
d
.
welcome
skies . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
They
tell
.
m
e
.
everything
.
i
s
.
going
.
t
o
.
be
alright . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
They
tell
.
m
e
.
everything
.
i
s
.
going
.
t
o
.
be
alright . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
They
tell
.
m
e
.
everything
.
i
s
.
going
.
t
o
.
be
alright . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
this
time . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
a
n
d
–
–
–
I
cry.
Reflection: This was an inspirational/hope-themed poem that I wrote back in February of 2022 where the contemplator finds comfort in the simplicity of an ordinary, day of sunshine. I was playing the song “City Limit” by Bill Jr. and sitting outside on my balcony on a lovely summer-like day. The words “summertime smiles” came to me while relaxing there and then I started writing other lines before changing it to “a smile of summertime,” and the poem pretty much wrote itself from there. 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 an hour or so to write it.
It
.
w
a
s
.
yours . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
It
.
w
a
s
.
mine . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
It
.
w
a
s
.
ours . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
f
o
r
–
–
–
all
.
o
f
.
time . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
It
.
w
a
s
.
ours . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
f
o
r
–
–
–
all
.
o
f
.
time . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
way
.
b
a
c
k
.
then,
–
–
when
.
t
h
e
.
colors
.
w
o
u
l
d
.
fly
–
–
so
high . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
so
bold . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
a
n
d
–
–
–
so
bright . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ way
.
b
a
c
k
.
then,
–
–
when
.
t
h
e
.
future
skies
–
–
smiled
.
s
o
.
warmly
wide
.
w
i
t
h
.
sunshine . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ the
sunshine
.
w
e
.
thought
.
w
e
.
might
never
–
–
leave
behind . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
f
o
r
–
–
–
in
.
t
h
o
s
e
.
days . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
a
n
d
–
–
–
in
.
t
h
a
t
.
place . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
it
.
w
a
s
.
yours . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
a
n
d
–
–
–
mine . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
a
n
d
–
–
–
ours . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ it
.
w
a
s
.
yours . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
a
n
d
–
–
–
mine . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
a
n
d
–
–
–
ours . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
f
o
r
–
–
–
all
.
o
f
.
time.
Reflection: This was a romantic-themed poem that I wrote back in February of 2022 where the contemplator looks back fondly on a past youth and romance. I was playing the song “Love is All We Share” by Cut Copy while relaxing on my balcony and the words “It was yours… It was mine… It was ours… for all of time…” came to me and the poem pretty much wrote itself from there with that song playing in the background to create the “moodset” for the poem. 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 an hour or so to write it which is unusually fast when I write poetry.
I
took
–
–
just
a
glance
–
–
and
.
.
f
e
l
l
.
.
into
romance . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ I
.
.
f
e
l
l
.
.
into
romance
–
–
where
.
t
h
e
.
candles
dance . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ where
.
t
h
e
.
candles
dance . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ where
.
t
h
e
.
candles
dance . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
all
hours
.
o
f
.
caressing
feet
.
a
n
d
.
hands . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ all
hours
.
o
f
.
blissful
breath
–
–
upon
lips
–
–
that
land . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ blissful
breath
–
–
upon
lips
–
–
that
land . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
again,
.
a
n
d
.
again,
.
a
n
d
.
again,
.
a
n
d
.
again,
.
a
n
d
.
again . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
I
took
–
–
just
a
glance . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
I
took
–
–
just
a
glance . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
I
took
–
–
just
a
glance . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
and
.
.
f
e
l
l
.
.
into
romance . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ I
.
.
f
e
l
l
.
.
into
romance
–
–
where
.
t
h
e
.
candles
dance . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ where
.
t
h
e
.
candles
dance . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
all
hours
.
o
f
.
blissful
breath
–
–
upon
lips
–
–
that
land . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
again,
.
a
n
d
.
again,
.
a
n
d
.
again . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
until
.
w
e
.
awake . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ until
.
w
e
.
awake,
–
–
smiling
upon
.
t
h
e
.
sands . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ smiling
upon
.
t
h
e
.
shimmering
sands
.
o
f
.
faraway
lands.
Reflection: This was a popular romantic-themed poem that I wrote back in February of 2022 about a sweeping, runaway romance. I wrote most of this poem by listening to the wonderful, haunting gem of a song “Touch in Mine” by Esperanza Spalding which I played in the background to create the “moodset” for the poem and inspire the writing of the poem. So, if you listen to the song at low volume while reading this poem, you might better get the “feel” of it.
You
might
have
–
–
yearned
.
f
o
r
.
more
.
o
r
.
stirred
.
t
h
e
.
urge . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
a
n
d
–
–
–
got
hammered
.
w
i
t
h
.
hurt . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ you
might
.
h
a
v
e
.
gotten
hammered
.
w
i
t
h
.
hurt . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
b
u
t
–
–
–
no
matter
how
–
–
much
it
bleeds
.
a
n
d
.
burns . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
you
can
–
–
rest
assured
–
–
there
.
i
s
.
always
–
–
something
there
.
t
o
.
learn . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ there
.
i
s
.
always
–
–
something
there
.
t
o
.
learn,
–
–
which
can
–
–
push
.
y
o
u
.
beyond
.
t
h
e
.
blur . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
a
n
d
–
–
–
create
.
t
h
e
.
coming
.
o
f
.
the
curve . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ it
can
–
–
push
.
y
o
u
.
beyond
.
t
h
e
.
blur . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
a
n
d
–
–
–
create
.
t
h
e
.
coming
.
o
f
.
the
curve . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
f
o
r
–
–
–
when
.
i
t
.
turns,
.
i
t
.
turns . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ yes,
when
.
i
t
.
turns,
.
i
t
.
turns,
–
–
–
.
.
.
It
turns . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
It
turns . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
It
turns . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
a
n
d
–
–
–
you
.
m
a
y
.
feel
a
little
.
m
o
r
e
.
pure,
.
a
n
d
.
a
little
.
m
o
r
e
.
sure . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ you
.
m
a
y
.
feel
a
little
.
m
o
r
e
.
sure . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
a
n
d
–
–
–
gain
a
greater
sense
.
o
f
.
worth . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ experience
a
kind
rebirth . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
a
n
d
–
–
–
merge
into
.
t
h
e
.
mirth
–
–
that
things
.
a
r
e
.
no
longer
.
a
s
.
they
were . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ things
.
a
r
e
.
no
longer
.
a
s
.
they
were . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
before
.
t
h
e
.
time
–
–
when
.
y
o
u
.
yearned
.
f
o
r
.
more . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ before
.
t
h
e
.
time
–
–
when
.
y
o
u
.
yearned
.
f
o
r
.
more . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
~ before
.
t
h
e
.
time
–
–
when
.
y
o
u
.
yearned
.
f
o
r
.
more . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
got
hammered
.
w
i
t
h
.
hurt . . .
–
–
–
.
.
.
a
n
d
–
–
–
bled
.
a
n
d
.
burned.
Reflection: This was a popular hope/inspiration-themed poem I wrote back in January of 2022. When reflecting on my investments and losing 6% in 2022 in just the first month, I decided to stay the course and continue buying into weakness although I was almost 100% invested – because when it turns, it turns . . . That line stuck with me and inspired me to write this poem. The stock market carnage continued throughout 2022 but I more than made up for the losses in 2023.