A Poem, To The Father, a Daughter

I will start off by saying I do not have a daughter. I have two young sons that I love very much. However, that does not mean that I do not think about what it would be like to have a daughter. I always try to daydream about the type of father I would be to her. I always ask myself questions like, “would I be the type of father pounding my fist when a young man pulls up to the house to take her to dinner and a movie? Or would I be the type of father to smile and wave and shake the young man’s hand and wish them the best?” I like to think that it would be a mix of both because I am naturally very protective of my children and very respectful to everyone I meet. Needless to say, I would most likely have a happy countenance for the occasion.

So at this point, one may be asking themselves, “why is this sap writing a blog about being a father to a daughter when he doesn’t have one?”

I’m not! The blog is over! I’m just joking, please don’t leave.

My rebuttal, I suppose, would be that in a recent novel that I wrote, I had to put myself into the mind of a character and ultimately had to immerse myself in what it would feel like to be in his position. He has a daughter that he loves very much, but certain situations arise that keep him from seeing her. It weighs on his mind throughout the novel, and he finally decides to defy the antagonist in the story and visit her. I kept that previous sentence vague on purpose to not post any spoilers for my novel.

Out of the twenty chapters in the novel, that chapter was the most emotional. It tugged on my heartstrings, to be honest. So I figured it’d be a good idea to pass on some good vibes and a positive message depicting how I would feel towards my daughter by sharing a visual with the chapter introduction included.

The intention of the above writing was to give the vibe of “the father is the first true love of the daughter.”

Parents tend to go out of their comfort zone and continuously challenge themselves to find ways to communicate with their children as they get older. The character in my novel does just that. He writes a poem for his daughter, which he calls doggerel, but I don’t think it’s too bad! You be the judge!

It is called “A father’s love for his daughter.”

The night you were born changed my life forever,
I was a man without purpose until I touched your hand,
Your existence so pure and true renewed me, however,
It was then that I began to understand,
The evils of this world have no dominion on a soul so pure,
A father’s love for his daughter is without condition,
Your infectious smile and laughter were my cure,
Such love would make even the most unrighteous express contrition,
Grab the world and hold it in the palm of your hand, my dear,
To a father, the daughter is his world, holding her so humble,
Understand that the unknowns in life deserve respect but not fear,
From the first steps to your adversities in life, I will be there to catch you when you stumble,
With Grace and majesty, the daughter walks through this life,
The father, so proud of such a creation, is filled with love and absent of strife.

At this point in my life, I will probably have to continue living vicariously through my friends who have daughters and even my sons if they grow up to have daughters.
Anyway, I hope I achieved my goal of passing on some positive vibes by writing this blog and really wish the best to everyone who reads it.

Feel free to comment. I love to hear feedback on the poems or the overall messages I am trying to convey.
Thanks for reading!

Travis J. McRoy 2021 All Rights Reserved.
Image by jun yang from Pixabay 

A Haiku, The Wildflowers

Yesterday morning I was staring out my kitchen window and got fixated on vibrant colors poking out of the leaf-covered ground in the woods. I dismissed it for the time being but kept checking on the spot throughout the day. Later on in the day, I finally caved and took a walk to see what exactly I was fixated on all day. It turns out it is a patch of wildflowers growing in the woods! So, needless to say, I wrote a haiku about wildflowers.

Bloom forevermore
Wildflowers with no constraints
Vibrant colors bask


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

Travis J. McRoy 2021 All Rights Reserved
Image by Les Whalley from Pixabay 

500 followers!

I got a notification this morning that I hit 500 followers! The support in the WP community has been out of this world!
Hitting such a milestone, I figured it would be fun to continue with sharing some fun facts about myself. This time I’ll share 3 fun facts!

In no particular order….

Fun Fact #1) So this is a fun fact with multiple branches to it…
My favorite actor is James Stewart and my favorite actress is Grace Kelly. They both star in the movie Rear Window which also happens to be my favorite movie.


Fun Fact #2)
I work in the IT industry but also have the proclivity to DIY (do it yourself) on home projects. Here is a recent project I completed, adding a fireplace.

Before:


After:


Fun Fact #3)
I love giving gifts instead of receiving them. In 2019 my wife and I donated five iPads to the local autism clinic where my son is a patient. The bottom line is that this technology helped us communicate with our son. I felt that with the clinic’s tireless efforts, it was time to give back to them, which felt great!

I can’t say enough how grateful I am! 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

An Inspirational Poem, The Graveyard of Hopes

I recently came up with this poem out of thin air. I got all situated to start a new chapter in a novel I am working on and got entirely sidetracked with creating a poem. I’d get a verse down and say, “okay, I’ll finish it tomorrow.” However, as I am sure you are all aware, when the creative juices begin to flow, they do not calm quickly. I caved in and finished the poem.

The point and purpose of the words are to touch on the fear of collecting countless failures. We soon realize that the failures are guarded by a glasshouse that we created in our minds. It is meant to inspire hope and flush out the desire to quit, ultimately replacing it with the desire to persevere.

The Graveyard of Hopes

My efforts futile, so I lay you in the ground next to the others,
With a deep breath and a sigh, I continue forward, anticipating defeat,
A modicum of happiness as I lay my burdens down anxiety smothers,
I file down the fangs of failure as I refuse to retreat,
It feels different this time something changed within me,
Hope cloaked in specious delight, but still, I falter,
I lay you into the ground asking how can it be,
With a blood-soaked tongue I say, it is my mind I must alter,
Determination amassed a graveyard of failures that cannot die in vain,
Armed and bemedaled with a mountain of mental fortitude,
I resile not as you huff and puff from your glasshouse, ignorant to my pain,
Refusing to bury another, I throw rocks as the words elude,
The Graveyard of Hopes, a glasshouse that shatters quickly in fear,
Atop my summit, I mourn my losses, nurturing the graveyard with a tear.

Thanks for reading!
Travis

Travis J. McRoy 2021 All Rights Reserved.

A Poem, The Ill-fated Astronaut

Dramatis Personae: A 40’s something astronaut and his escape pod, which is now his coffin of sorts.
Setting: Deep space

This poem follows the last few moments of an astronaut on an ill-fated space mission. Out of desperation, he rushed to an escape pod. Due to an explosion of the shuttle, the pod’s trajectory was thrown off course.

Mission control, I’m off course
Were the last words that I spoke
I float in space with no chance of recourse
A victim of fate’s cruel practical joke
Two hours of battery life remains
I smother the hunger pains with my pills
The silence of space so deafening, my mind strains
My lips crack as blood fills
One hour left, as I hear the chime
I press a picture of my family against my lips
Understanding that I am now on borrowed time
Hallucinations from the pills as my mind slips
The time has come, as darkness falls
Desolation is now my bride
The escape pod judders and stalls
Aimlessly through space, I shall glide
The welcoming sight of a black hole
At least the devil won’t get my soul

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

Travis J. McRoy 2021 All Rights Reserved

A Haiku, The Sunrise

We had such a beautiful sunrise this morning. It always seems like, after bad storms pass through, we always get a beautiful sunrise the following day. So I wrote this haiku to encapsulate the experience.

Nighttime surrenders
Vibrant light beams cut the dark
Sun blooms the new day

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

Travis J. McRoy 2021 All Rights Reserved
Image by Lars_Nissen from Pixabay 

A Poem, No More Pins

I wrote this poem yesterday, and it is written from an interesting perspective. It is a doll that knows its purpose but does not want to be punished for wrongdoings anymore.

I anticipate the pins
Sharp with pain, it pierces me
Now the healing begins
My lips sewn shut but still I plea
I don’t want to feel this pain
I see the hand approach to punish again
With all my might, I strain
I’ll continue to grow my disdain
Ironic that I am the enforcer of revenge
I breathe in all the hate my lungs can hold
Through my pain and suffering, I’ll avenge
Through my eyes, I can watch your demise unfold
I am not a doll but an effigy to punish thee
Please stop doing wrong; I do not want pins in me


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

Travis J. McRoy 2021 All Rights Reserved

A Haiku, The Critters

I was creek fishing a few years ago, and I cast my line upstream and noticed what looked like a skinny log coming towards me. I stepped to the side to let it pass by and saw it slither in the stream. It was a snake. I said to myself, “hmm, that was interesting,” and continued on with my fishing. Within a minute, here come two more “skinny logs.” Two more snakes coming downstream. I decided to move out of the water for a moment to try a different lure. I was curious about the snakes all of a sudden coming downstream. I was fishing in that creek for at least two hours before the snakes came floating by. I looked in the sky and noticed birds flying with great haste as if they were in a hurry to move out of the area. No sooner I finished the thought, there was a fierce earth-shaking lightning strike. What followed was the worst storm we had in that area for the entire summer. It caused flash floods, downed trees, power outages—even a tornado briefly touchdown. I often think about that experience. There was no doubt the critters in the area knew something was coming our way.
Nature is an incredible thing. Needless to say, I wrote a haiku about the experience!

Whipping winds, dark clouds
Lightning crashes the silence
Critters keen senses


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

Travis J. McRoy 2021 All Rights Reserved
Image by illusion-X from Pixabay 

A Poem, Pluck These Strings

I wrote this poem yesterday. It just came to me out of nowhere, so I just decided to go along for the ride. It follows the grueling grind of a puppet’s life and its personal struggle.

With a tug and pull, I’m brought to life
I’ve danced for peasants and kings
I do not want to live this strife
Forced to wear a smile but bound by strings
People laugh at me, not with me
My pride is in your praise
That’s why I dance around with glee
And keep this proud steady gaze
I want to pluck my strings ever so much
For if I do so, I’ll cease to exist
They are my lifeline, so I must not touch
It is so tempting, but I must resist
My time has come to an end; back in the box I go
If only I could pluck these strings before the next show

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

Travis J. McRoy 2021 All Rights Reserved

A Haiku, The Volcano

Continuing with my natural disaster-themed haikus, here is one about volcanos.

Gray fog, rains of ash
Culmination of pressure
Earth shows dominion


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

Travis J. McRoy 2021 All Rights Reserved
Image by Pexels from Pixabay 

A poem, The Angel’s Wings

Dramatis Personae: Two entities face unique precarious positions. One is a man who is both figuratively and physically at the summit of his life. The mountain of failures of his life is tall, and he is standing on the very edge of his existence. The second is an angel tasked with helping a man similar to its own. The angel needs the man just as much as the man needs the angel.
Setting: A summit out in the middle of nowhere.

Come down from that ledge, my friend
I have nothing left to give this life
This is not how your life should end
Nothing but a bed of broken promises for my wife
I lived a life bemedaled in shortcomings
You speak no truth; life itself is the gift
A release from life for me is forthcoming
If you jump, eternal damnation will not be swift
Why do you concern yourself with my existence?
I am your guardian angel domiciled to you
I don’t have my wings yet, so understand my persistence
I see your plight; if I jump, we are both through
I was on the same ledge but wanted live and slipped
You echo the same countenance as me just before my life was ripped


This was a story with the point and purpose of learning that just because you feel like your existence means nothing, it is not true. Others rely on your existence in so many ways. In the story above, it just so happened that a guardian angel came forward to let the man know of his importance, ultimately saving the man from a very lonely eternal fate.

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

Travis J. McRoy 2021 All Rights Reserved
Image by Ria Sopala from Pixabay 

400 Followers!

I hit 400 followers yesterday!

With that being said, I’ll open up a little bit more about myself by sharing a fun fact again.

Fun fact: For most of my life, I’ve been told that I have a babyface, so I grew a goatee in my early twenties to shake that perception. I don’t see it at all anymore, but I will let you all be the judge.

See! Told you! That’s a full-grown baby man child; wait…what?
Obviously, I am kidding with the image I shared; it is a babyface filter. However, the fun fact that I shared is true.

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 Earthquake

I figured I did a tornado haiku, so why not do an earthquake haiku, haha!

The 2nd line of this has a double meaning when you think of it. The Earth has faults, as do we, and sometimes they collide.

Plates shift, the ground quakes
The faults of the Earth collide
Mankind plays its part

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

Travis J. McRoy 2021 All Rights Reserved
Image by GieziUzziel from Pixabay 

A Poem, The Werewolf

And now I’m going to venture back into the macabre, dark poetry side for a moment. In this poem, I wrote about one of my favorite mythical beasts growing up, the werewolf. I grew up on movies like The Wolfman, The Howling, Silver Bullet, Wolf (Jack Nicholson), An American Werewolf in London, and Teen Wolf (Michael J. Fox). There are so many more, but I figured I’d name just a few of the classics. What type of hardcore fan would I be if I didn’t write a poem about a werewolf?

So with that said, here we go!

We are the wolves in the night
How did I wind up here covered in crimson?
I hear their howls but yet out of sight
What is this reality or, better yet, prison?
Taste of iron, not my blood
I howl at the moon to let them know I’m around
Why does my adrenaline flood
No longer human skin bound
The wolves steer clear, full of fear
Full moon, in their blood I bask
It is time to feast as I hear humans near
Killing everything in sight is my task
Split their sides wide open with my claws
Pick my teeth with their bones as the bloodlust thaws

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

Travis J. McRoy 2021 All Rights Reserved
Image by Dieter_G from Pixabay