Poems of Love and Loss

1.
When you
drink this tea
let it’s scent
recall this day.

2.
Emotional Blackmail
(My version of a poem by Blair Ewing)

For my art I charge no rent
for your space within my heart.
Nor do I pray God’s interference.
(Seek no ends, only soft words
between two friends I thought were close.)

And if my reasons won’t persuade,
plagued with error and tinged with rage
Lady, the blame is mine alone.
Let the error die on the page.

3.
He called her “First Snow”.
That was his pet name for her.
She swirled around him and made him smile,
and agitated his eyes in a good way.
She brought to his cheeks a rose red
and her every touch tingled.

4.
If she needs a kidney, I” give her three!

5.
She thought and thought –
his gray winter coat
fading into the
brown and bare branches

6.
Does it really
do any harm
to love another
from afar?

7.
Don’t go to sleep
my dear, my dear.
Watch over me
until I do.

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Top of Their Field and Favorites

Dear Reader,

Through my 25 years, and 200 issues of the arts and media zine Musea (1992-now), I’ve met many excellent musicians, painters, writers, photographers, filmmakers, etc.

Here are some that are personal favorites, but I also think that they are at the top of their field and they deserve world recognition for their achievements.

Gregory K. H. Bryant – art

David McGhee – photography

Sara Niemietz and Snuffy Walden – music

Michael Helsem – writing

Scott Jacob Loehr – music

Ace Backwards – blogging.

Sparrow – poetry.

David Darling – science website, writing.

TYT, The Young Turks – online news.

Tom Hendricks
(editor of Musea)

MAIN Website
tomhendricks.us

The Best!

Vision Poems

What is a VISION POEM?
WARNING: This is not ‘Poetry 101’. This is advanced. Vision Poetry does not rhyme (most of the time), and it’s not what you are used to. If for any reason, after reading two or three of these short poems, you don’t ‘GET IT’; please, fold up the zine page , replace it on the stack where you found it, and slowly back away from your computer.

Now that we’ve gotten rid of the neophytes, let’s continue. Vision poems are part koan, part hallucination, part vision, slightly enlightening, and peppered with occasional eureka moments. They are word pictures, dreams, fantasies, jokes, lightning strikes, and kafkaesque situations. Read them with a sense of adventure. Then see if the startling images – somewhat like what a painter might see in his mind before beginning his new work – suggests anything deeper or more profound. Enjoy and let me hear what you think.

the white stones
began to float
rise up and
turn to stars

Year of the too close Moon.

My garden decided
it didn’t need me!

I imagined an orchard
in full bloom
and an orchard behind it
and an orchard behind it
and …

howling wind in a
haunted wood…

The Flight of the Queen

The Flight of the Queen

The Queen had enough
and scowled at the King,
– who paid no mind –
took off her crown,
swept back her hair,
and with a grand sweep
defenestrated it!

Where it startled a cat
traipsing by
who scampered off
to later return
and sniff the cold metal
and paw the bright gems.

With a train in pursuit
and the guards all lined up
like a column of sconces,
she left the castle.

Under a cloudy sky
she came to a halt,
raised her hand to command,
“Bring me a carriage!”
Attending maids
scattered to obey.

The Queen now ensconced:
bumping along over brick roads,
bumping along over stones in the dust,
bumping along over the muddy trail,
out of the kingdom,
and into the forest.

Her anger settled
– a falling curtain –
enough to take hold
in a lesser place.
Reason raised up
to then take over

Where to now…?
Where goes the Queen … ?

My 6 Books

These 6 books of mine are all on all the streaming sites, Amazon, I- books, Barnes and Nobel, etc.
Lots of variety! Try one and see.

MY SIX BOOKS have been published on all the streaming sites. Here are some review blurbs. (Read excerpts on the Amazon, Tom Hendricks, author page.)

1. LIBRARY PLANET. Tom Hendricks’ Library Planet is an explosion of imagination and wonderful cultures from all the diverse planets… This is a story for those who want to get lost in a planet sized library without spending too much time away from real life. – Maria Stoica

2. CENDRILLON, the True Story of Cinderella. Tom Hendricks uses a unique historical perspective to bring new life to the tale of Cinderella…. Hidden within the story are lessons about love, loss and acceptable behavior, not to mention the definition of true beauty … Cendrillon: The True Story of Cinderella is a delightful version of a favorite fairy tale. – Melinda Hills

3. PORTRAITS, a novel of Art, Artists, and the Art Revolution. Tom Hendricks’ contemporary fiction novel, Portraits: A Novel about Art, Artists, and the Art Revolution, is an art lover’s delight. The author’s story captures the essence of the lifestyle and struggles of artists, especially those who’ve not been discovered or found by the gatekeepers of the art world. – Jack Magnus

4. TEN SHORT AND SHORT-SHORT PLAYS. Hendricks obviously is a good writer and also knows the theater well, since his plays can easily be produced by small theater companies without the aid of elaborate scenery, large casts, etc. He also knows how to make things concise and easily understood. – Raanan Geberer. Playwright Tom Hendricks must have an incessantly creative mind, and this comes through in each of his unique and playful works. Each of these plays would be fun to act out for novice actors or for ones much more skilled. I recommend Ten Short and Short-Short Plays to readers who enjoy short works of fiction, those interested in fun short plays, or actors looking for new work. Tom Hendricks’ work is definitely worth watching out for. – Chris Fischer.

5. DOWNTOWN WITH THE BOOK OF RENOWN. (Also titled “?”) The synopsis for Downtown with the Book of Renown by Tom Hendricks goes like this: “Two boys have one big adventure, when Bradley finds a treasure map and two keys in a memo book from the hand of a dead gangster. He names it the ‘Book of Renown.’ The map in the Book of
Renown leads him and his friend Tom downtown to the Clarks Hotel. But how will they get inside, and what treasure will they find if they do?” Though I thought this blurb intriguing, I also felt it a little meager. As it turned out, it was perfect and the answer to the question was not close to anything I imagined. – Lex Allen.

6. WRITINGS IN SCIENCE. Writings in Science, a history of the future in stories, essays, poems and plays.
Writings in Science: A History of the Future by Tom Hendricks is a dazzling portrait of the world millions of years from now, as seen through the eyes of the character called “I.” It is the kind of sci-fi that can be characterized as visionary. – Divien Zape.
A History of the Future by Tom Hendricks is a beautiful collection of stories, dialogues, essays, and many things in between, depicting the world millions of years in the future.
Readers will enjoy the drama that features in the stories, the tight prose in the essays, and the compelling, somewhat symbolic characters. Tom Hendricks exhibits a very rich imagination in this entertaining work.
The author covers a variety of themes in a variety of styles, including ethical issues, scientific inventions, culture and politics.
The Setting is captivating. I was drawn in by the images the author conjured through the beautiful writing. It’s a work that will be adored by fans of sci-fi, short stories, futuristic essays and fantasy. – Arya Fomonyuy.
Writings in Science: A History of the Future by Tom Hendricks is a collection of poems, essays and stories all compiled into a novel, written in two parts. The reader is taken to a world where the earth is no longer viable and is, in fact, dying because of the sun. People are leaving the blue planet in droves and one man with the name of “I” works to gather his favorite science writings to preserve them as a legacy for the future. Follow the history in this book and all of the changes that have happened to the planet before it began its death throes. – Kathryn Bennett.

TomHendricks.us