Wow, it seems like only a few days ago I was sitting at my computer composing a new intro for Open Link Night #14. But that’s how time can get away from you if you don’t pay attention. Or you don’t have someone interested in to remind you.

Which brings me to our discussion for today, the loneliness of the writing life. Now don’t get me wrong, I love the time I spend alone with my notebook or the keyboard. It is the glorious nexus of isolation, imagination and spiritual fulfillment that makes life special for me, the mope behind the poet guy you see here and on my blog.

The times between the transcendent hazes of creativity can be a different kind of alone, though. Many of us don’t have similarly afflicted persons close to them, family or friends, teachers or poetaster parole officers  (Ooh, TMI, Joe), with whom we can relate, commiserate or congregate. That’s where social media and web entities such as dVerse Poets Pub come to the rescue. They came to mine.

It’s through the clouds and buzz of zeroes and ones that I have been informed I really am a poet, that I have met other poets, learned more of craft, and made some relationships that have enriched my life beyond measure. I didn’t have to reach out, nor did the poets and writers with whom I have connected have to reach out to me. It was all quite organic.

And that’s the wonder of all this. You can be as active or quiet as you wish to be. It’s all cool here at the pub. So welcome in, throw your poem up here on the wall, check out the offerings of all or some of the rest of our constituent creative word weavers. Or, just leave your poem folded under your coaster for your server to pick up. That’s cool, too.

Oh, by the way, my name’s Joe. (Extends hand and – believe it or not – smiles) Glad to see you here tonight. What’ll YOU have?

Here’s the menu:

• Post a poem to your blog,
• Link your poem to dVerse (1 per blog, please) by clicking on the Mr.Linky button below.
• This opens a new screen where you’ll enter your information, and where you also choose links to read. Once you have pasted your poem’s blog url and entered your name, click Submit. Don’t worry if you don’t see your name right away of if you’re not the first name there. That honor inevitably belongs to Anthony Desmond.
• Don’t forget to let your readers know where you’re linking up and encourage them to participate by including a link to dVerse in your blog post. (Something I STILL often forget to do, even after writing this.)
• Visit as many other poems as you like or can, commenting  as you like or can, as well.
• Spread the word on the poems you enjoy if you’d like. Feel free to tweet and share on the social media of your choice. As I said, it’s all cool as Claudia here.