Author: ~Keith Alan Hamilton~ (~KAH~)

the deep dark pit
of despair
is emotively
all consuming
at its worse
a sinkhole of loneliness
fostered by blame and quilt
a miserable wasteland
void of hope
and purpose
where the spirit
becomes weary
and the ever present
whispers
of life’s end
as a form of relief
become seemingly clear
and rational
to a misty mind
laced with melancholy
imprisoned perilously
in the cell
of the downtrodden …..

~  STOP & LISTEN ~

…..  unless thoughts
submerged
and drowning
in self-darkness
can be distracted
focused less on
the plight of oneself
and more on the light
that others can shine
as actors on the stage
who perform the script
called life
a reality
where the once
weary spirit
feels refreshment  ~
~   hope and purpose
are restored
through a process of
human interaction
associated with
a spiritual felt sense
that emerges
of being one
interconnected
and interdependent
with all else …..
…..   a revelation is born
joy and fulfillment in life
are had within the act
of doing
more for others
than asking of them
or expecting
in return  ~

~  STOP & LISTEN  ~

~   then those
ever present
whispers
of life’s end
as a form of relief
become seemingly clear
and rational
to a misty mind
laced with melancholy
imprisoned perilously
in the cell
of the downtrodden
will slowly but surely
fade
into
the
backdrop
of
life

~  as you stand tall
among friends
with that sweet smile
of living
on your face

peace out

~Keith Alan Hamilton~

I’m spiritually PRO-HUMAN
with a socially PROACTIVE
message …..

decolorize the ideal of race
to one race  ~
THE HUMAN RACE
regardless
the bright & luscious flavors
of
skin color
sex
gender
nationality
ethnicity
culture
or belief

and ‘cause of
MY
ABNORNALITIES
NORMALITY
as a social activist
performance artist
I have another message
a message
to be illustrated
brought forth
through the use of
a body metaphor
while walking 16 miles
overnight with others
in the AFSP
Out of the Darkness Walks
a proactive
and PRO-HUMAN
direct action
that would
in a positive way
if only in a small way
become a contributor
in bringing
back to light
out of the darkness
those hidden and festering
predispositions  ~
inhibitions
socially
embedded
ways of thinking
that blur
perceptions
cause misunderstanding
set up a road block
and regrettably deter
the intelligent progression
of humanity
about mental conditions
the kind that can construct
a reality
where the deep ~ dark
state
dwelled in
seems
totally unbearable
and thoughts of suicide
notions of life’s end
creep in as a possible remedy
to a perilous
never ending
melancholy drenched
ordeal
yes ……..    a certain
body metaphor
performed in dark clothes
with a hood
imagery
symbolism
archetypes
delivered in an enticing fashion
to spark the observers
mind
to encourage them
to empathically
ponder the act
by metaphorically
…….  walking in another
persons shoes
experience a felt sense
what it is like to be them
and then engage in …..
open dialogue
with others
to increase discernment
regarding such
mental conditions
that lead fellow human beings
down the somber
and lightless
road
to suicide

I’m spiritually PRO-HUMAN
with a socially PROACTIVE
message …..

peace out

In this book I’ve taken Smartphone camera images of myself, digitally altered to sort of look like sketches, and used them to form an artistic collaboration with words. I season my words with a pinch of prose that at times materialize into expressions I call Artistic Sayings. The main spice I use in this creative mixture is a poetic essay style with an emergent spiritually philosophical flavor. This style can take on a more hybrid form called a Story Poem . Hopefully, through this collaborative brew, you as the observer and reader will more fully experience my opinions. Opinions on topics like mental conditions (depression, Bi-polar), thoughts of suicide, empathic sensitivity and clairsentient as they relate to what I call MY ABNORMALITIES NORMALITY.

I have asked two fellow artists who are also dear friends to co-write the foreword to this book, Madeline Sharples and Regina Walker. They know my story and truly understand how important it is to me to raise awareness about the topics presented in the book. Both Madeline and Regina have their own stories to tell and will be contributing their own poems and tributes to those they’ve lost to suicide. In 2016 I will be doing two 16 mile Out of the Darkness walks for the AFSP as a part of Team S.O.L.E.S around the time this book is released. My first walking partner in May will be Madeline in San Francisco and then in NYC my walking partner will be Regina in June. I will walk these two events as a social activist performance artist. I will be creating a body metaphor by wearing under my blue AFSP shirt dark clothes and a hood. This will symbolize the transitional process – to bring back to light out of the darkness, to air out, and confront through the healing process of dialogue, those inhibitions and predispositions that cast a dark shadow over those who struggle with mental conditions (depression, Bi-polar), thoughts of suicide or suffer from the loss of someone to suicide.

A portion of the proceeds of each of this book sold will be donated to the AFSP.

Please note: I often use the tilde ~ and ….., instead of more common forms of punctuation. Beware ! I do use the “F” word … a byproduct of my generation.

I use the words peace out beyond the normal accepted meaning in society herein instead of saying “end poem” when a poet finishes reading a selected piece.

Peace and love ….

~Keith Alan Hamilton~