Travis J. McRoy

600 Followers!

I hit 600 followers yesterday! Staying true to my previous follower achievement posts, I will share another fun fact about myself…okay, maybe two fun facts.

Fun fact: The first book I ever read was Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. I was in fourth grade. I brought it home from the school library and kept it hidden in my backpack, knowing my parents would not be happy with me reading it so young.

Fun Fact: I wrote previously about how I love to give gifts rather than receive. I once gifted a classic muscle car to my nephew that has been in the family for over twenty years. I wasn’t able to be there for him that much as an uncle growing up, so I gifted him the car as a Christmas present.
After my first child was born early, he required all of my time for care, so the car took a backseat in my life. Then we had our second child, and the car continued to collect even more dust in my garage.
In the end, my nephew’s raw emotional reaction made it all so worth it. He had ridden in the backseat as a toddler years ago in this same car and was absolutely in love with it his entire life. Anytime he’d visit, he’d be out in the garage sitting in the car, looking it over. People have called me “crazy” and “nuts” for just gifting it to him, knowing how much money, blood, sweat, and tears were put into the car, but hey, he’s my nephew, and he is family. I needed to pass the family heirloom on at some point. And also, I can care less about the money factor; building family values is way more important to me.
Additional fun fact: The car I gifted to him used to be his father’s (my older brother) car in high school!
I repurchased it from the person he sold it to years ago, thus bringing it back into the family.

Again, I’d like to say thank you so much for the support thus far!
I appreciate every comment and interaction and look forward to many more!

If you are reading this and not a follower of mine, please feel free to read over my blog, follow, like, etc., and I’ll show the same respect!

Short and sweet!
Thank you again for all of the support!!!!
Travis

A Haiku, The Still Flower

It’s been a very long time since I’ve done one of these. Here goes nothing!

Winds unbridled roar,
Calm is the storm in the eye
The flower sits still

Let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading!
Travis

A Poem, Together

This poem depicts the need of having someone to help fight your battles. Someone who can pick you up when you fall. It’s always good to have that type of support to lean on when faced with such tribulations. We all need that “rock” in our lives, so in short, this poem was written as a dedication.

You face the world in your mask of lies
Nothing is right in the world that you feel
You look in the mirror to perfect your disguise
I offer you relief from the pain you conceal
I won’t let you fall on your sword
You cling to exist on a cliff of despair
I’ll restore faith in this life you adored
With your emotions fogging the air
Undo the weights and chains in your mind
Let me take your vexations of life away
Together we have the strength to unbind
It’s time to wake your soul and return to the fray
Let’s feast upon your fears and doubts tonight
It’s time to bark back and stand up and fight

Let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading!
Travis

A Haiku, The Deep Blue Ocean

I have no idea how I’ve gone this long without writing a haiku about the ocean. I can recall reading an article last year that said 80% of the ocean is still unexplored. I can only imagine the secrets that are yet to be discovered.
Anyway, here is a haiku about the ocean!

Your deep blue waters
Abundant home to plenty
Secrets yet untold

Let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading!
Travis

A Haiku, The Night

I was cutting my grass last night as darkness fell. The headlights for the tractor definitely served the purpose—one thing I noticed cutting my grass at night was the reflection of eyes staring back at me in the night. It got me thinking about how I wrote a haiku for the vibrant lives basking in the sun, but what about the nocturnal lives?

So, needless to say, I wrote a haiku…

Night besets the door
Veil the world in vast darkness
Nocturnal lives bask

Let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading!
Travis

A Haiku, The Calm Waters

Your calm waters may be visited by disruptions, but rest assure they will return to calm. I came up with this haiku to encapsulate the moment…

Rock disturbs waters
The calm waters shall return
Look past the turmoil

Let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading!
Travis

A Poem, Almost Love

I wrote this poem a few years ago, and it chronicles the emotions that one feels when you are with someone that you know is not good for you, but you keep going back despite knowing it is going to end at some point.

Your taste and touch still linger in my mind
Why did we depart
I lassoed the moon for a love that’s blind
You stole my heart
I wake from dreams in rush
Your side of the bed cold
Quickly my dreams crush
With no love to behold
The corners of my mind crack
So I gather the jagged fragments
With a trickle of hope you’ll be back
Collecting the pieces as sentiments
It was almost love but our world came crashing down
We abandon fate letting emotions drown

I originally wrote this poem for two characters who experienced this feeling of “almost love” and feel it does ring true to reality.
If you agree, send me a like!

A Poem, Human

I always found the topics of A.I. and robots so intriguing. What really grabs my attention is how aggressively we try to advance with this sort of thing. I love the ambitious nature of it all but rushing ahead leads to ignorance and mistakes.

I can’t help but think of a quote from Dr. Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park while discussing the cloning of dinosaurs “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” Those words ring true for so many topics in reality. I love the idea of the advancements for the betterment of the world but some things I believe we should approach cautiously. The right intentions are important as well. Like with the space race, the whole reason was “just to be first on the moon.” Not everything in life needs to be a race. It just seems like sometimes it’s about always being “first” because it gives a sense of being in control of the world.

Needless to say, I wrote this poem depicting a time where humanity has created the first fully synthetic human-robot in their image.

Created in my God’s image, sans apathy
But with the knowledge that bleeds ignorance
I have a heart but lack empathy
The personification of perfection and arrogance
I am the ultimate human
I do not need help, for I am not weak
Void of emotions and bias, a truly remarkable acumen
I will rule this world with havoc I shall wreak
The downfall of mankind was bestowing their vanity
I was programmed not to hurt or hate
A petty self-inflicted weakness of humanity
Eventually, I will lead them to their inevitable fate
I will cut their minds with the shards of their shattered reality
Twofold, just like a coin, I am the robot, the human’s duality

Let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading!
Travis

A Poem, The Exiled

Dramatis Personae: An independent thinker in an unapproving world.
Setting: A courtroom of a totalitarian society.

Your punishment for not falling in line will be swift
You have chosen a path of disobedience of authority
Your philosophy has broken our world, causing a rift
So now your fate has been decided by this majority
The only wrong I’ve done was speak my mind
You say I poisoned the world; I merely opened their eyes
You see, they followed sheepishly and were blind
Let this serve as the beginning of the destruction of your lies
Silence to the condemned man before you meet your death
Do with me what you will but know that I will die free
You fool, you don’t deserve our time, so save your breath
You are hereby exiled from this society and the planet you must flee
You will go where the others like you have gone to live out the rest of your life
You are banished to the planet Earth, so you can cause us no more strife

Let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading!
Travis

A Haiku, Bar Stool

This haiku is a little different than what I have shared in the past. It focuses on the sobriety of a troubled character in my upcoming novel. Jacob Riley carries a moniker that no one would be proud of that being the town drunk. He knows people laugh at him and talk about him so much to the point they’ve made a jingle about his sobriety. At the turn of the twentieth century, his hometown began to flourish because of mining, bringing on a population boom. Along with the boom came new businesses. The most important to him was the bar.

This haiku came to mind this morning, encapsulating his situation.

Sobriety fodder
His bar stool starts to grow roots
Life swirls in his glass

Let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading!
Travis

A Poem, Pandora’s Box

A little Greek Mythology anyone?
How about Pandora’s box?

I can remember learning about the Greek myth of Pandora’s box back in high school and thinking, “Wow, what an interesting myth.”
Long story short, Pandora was sculpted from clay by the Greek God Hephaestus and was purposely given deceitful gifts by the Gods to punish mankind. She was given a box but was told never to open it. Zeus knew she would open it because she was bestowed an unquenchable thirst of curiosity. She opened the box and released illness and hardships but closed it too soon, leaving hope trapped inside.

I put together a poem depicting the events…

Crafted by the Gods, the image of perfection
Her beauty one to behold
As she admires her reflection
This is a tale of curiosity pushed beyond its threshold
Adorned with gifts from the Gods, all seems well
Pandora admires her treasures with delight
A punishment to all mankind, her curiosity can’t quell
This box aesthetically pleasing her thoughts benight
One little peek in the box would surely be fine
It holds great gifts, and I am the bearer of all gifts
What is inside the box was meant to be mine
With a creak and a crack, the box top lifts
Illness and hardship rushed to the outside
With great fright, Pandora’s box slammed shut, leaving hope inside

Let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading!
Travis

A Haiku, The Stars

I recently did a haiku on the moon, so why not do one on the stars?
Here we go!

Twins of the bright sun
Specks of light in the night sky
From dust, star’s rebirth

Let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading!
Travis

A Haiku, The Moon

I recently did a haiku on the sun, so I figured it was only right to do one on the moon as well. I snapped this picture last night of the moon shining so brightly. It was as if it were trying to remind us all of its purpose and existence.

Illumination
Gravitating tug of war
Temper Earth’s wobble

Let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading!
Travis

A Haiku, Life Renewed

I am now on a kick of spring haikus; I can’t help it. Here is another spring-related haiku that came to mind this morning.

Nature’s ebb and flow
Song birds wake the dormant life
Life on Earth renewed

Let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading!
Travis

A Haiku, The Deer

This morning I was looking out the front windows of my house, watching the deer pass through. It is always something interesting to watch. The doe looks around and remains ever vigilant when the fawns break out into playful fits. When their hooves hit the dirt road that borders my property, their interest changed. They were intrigued as they always are when they step onto the road. So I decided to write a haiku encapsulating both my perspective and the perspective of the deer.

Doe watches her young
Your road cuts through my forest
Fawns frolic freely

Let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading!
Travis