Thought Prints

“Birthed in a month, on a day, somewhere in time. Somewhere in history.

Somewhere in my past, I didn’t exist… But I was to be.”

“When I look back in time, exploring my mind, I realize I didn’t glance…

But I was to see…”

– from “A Letter to Myself.”

With intensity and emotion, Thought Prints reels the reader in instantly! Anyone who has the pleasure of reading this compilation of poems will surely find magic. A collection of poetry with a story to tell!

Title Quests: A Complete History of the National Football League's Championship Series

Title Quests: A Complete History of the National Football League's Championship Series is a retelling of a fascinating series of championship NFL Football contests that have seen scores ranging from 7-0 to 73-0, dark suspicions of underworld interference, a game played just inshore from a roiling Gulf of Mexico hurricane, featuring teams with names such as the Boston Redskins, Chicago Cardinals, and Cleveland Rams. These games have been played in blizzards, downpours, and deserts, interrupted by power failures, featuring brothers versus brothers, witnessing wild comebacks and collapses, with a team winning the title in its very first year in the league, and marking the birth and death of dynasties. Expect the unexpected.

Top Leaf

Embark on a delightful journey with a curious little girl, as she unfolds the wonders of her world! Top Leaf invites you to see the magic of everyday through her wide-eyed wonder. Her joy is infectious as she revels in the beauty of trees, cherishes the waves lapping at the beach, and finds excitement in all the little adventures that lie in between. With each page, her enthusiasm for the simple joys around her will surely brighten your day and remind you of the endless magic that surrounds us all. So, come along and discover the world anew through her charming escapades!

Tulip for Tebeau

Pioneers and their schools have long had a mutually beneficial bond. This symbiosis was eloquently articulated by a Duke University resident, Broadbent, at the dedication ceremony for the Samuel DuBose Cook Center for Social Equity: “You have led a remarkable life and we are today annexing your name to the fame of this school. Some might say we are honoring you by naming the Center after you, but everyone knows the truth - we are honoring ourselves and this Center by appropriating your enduring legacy.”

Cook, a distinguished political scientist, made history in 1966 as the first Black professor to receive tenure at a predominantly White southern university in the United States. By affiliating themselves with his pioneering work, schools like Duke aim to share in the honor and social capital of civil rights icons. Yet as Broadbent suggests, the true beneficiaries of such naming opportunities are arguably the institutions themselves.

Two Arms and Ten Fingers

The fifth-century philosopher Plato was a beloved student of the great philosopher Socrates. In his Allegory of the Cave, Plato reasoned that one is presented with an incredibly distorted view of reality until released from deception by being placed in a clear-eyed position to see absolute truth.

As our lives unfold and present us with various issues requiring decisions, our character matters. Yet, sometimes people choose deceit rather than sound, principled reasoning, and the truth of their deception is never discovered.

In Two Arms and Ten Fingers, three well-respected professionals choose to create a distorted view of reality for their personal gain, only to experience the consequences of their actions. The truth, most times, has a strange habit of coming to light; however, “deceit can be beautiful – just depends on who benefits.”

In Two Arms and Ten Fingers, a doctor, a mortician, and a lawyer make life-changing decisions and share the consequences. Follow their journey from darkness to possible enlightenment.

Unraveling Taboo: Love's Unexpected Pathways

In a world where sexuality, love, greed, and money take on new meanings, and death lurks around every corner, a captivating story unfolds. Father, a sophisticated and wealthy 60-year-old man, and his 34-year-old son both find themselves enamored with a stunning 27-year-old single woman. Initially, she becomes the lover of the father, a known adventurer with a penchant for beautiful, young women. However, when she meets his son, she falls deeply in love and marries him, perhaps driven by financial motives.

The tycoon, her ex-lover and now father-in-law, cannot and will not relinquish his love for her. He insists on continuing their intimate relationship, even resorting to pressure and ultimatums when she objects. Despite the husband’s suspicions, it is the wife herself who reveals the shocking truth: she has been regularly sleeping with his father, both before and after their marriage.

A war erupts between the three, as life teaches us to smile through the tears. Who do you think will be the first to die? Or is the human being simply a poor customer of life? Life on earth is a journey filled with people we encounter in all seasons. Some accompany us, while others remain behind. Those who stay with us will witness our happiness, smiles, sadness, and ultimately, our death. In a world that is absurd, full of wonders, and where death is ever-present, life is riddled with disappointment. We always need that breath of air to outlet our emotions, to breathe heavily and calm ourselves down.

‘There is no such thing as one hundred percent security in this life; there are always unforeseen events. Living is an art, and dying is an art as well.’

Victims and Perpetrators

Dive into the mischievous world of Victims and Perpetrators: Light Verse Judgement on the Criminally Inclined, where the lines between lawbreakers and law enforcers blur in the most whimsical ways. Through the masterful pen of John Gentry, a humorist poet with a penchant for the peculiar, this collection of poems invites readers on a rollicking journey through the underbelly of society, all from the safety of their armchairs.From the tale of Felony Fred, whose criminal escapades are as endearing as they are egregious, to the saga of a hapless diner in Hard Rock, Idaho, Gentry crafts a universe where crime does indeed pay – in laughter and wit. Each poem is a vignette, a snapshot of life on the other side of the law, told with a twinkle in the eye and a tip of the hat to the absurd.So, whether you’re a seasoned criminal mastermind looking to take a break from your nefarious activities, or a law-abiding citizen with a love for the lyrical, Victims and Perpetrators offers something for everyone. It’s a reminder that, in the end, we’re all just characters in the grand, ridiculous story of life – some of us just have better alibis than others.

We The People

Joanne S. Duffin’s poetry is a captivating fusion of the personal and the universal, delving into the depths of the human experience. Her verses touch upon matters of the heart, offer insightful observations of the world, and fearlessly tackle the pressing issues of our time, both within the United States of America and on a global scale.

As you turn the pages, you’ll find yourself immersed in the wonders and interpretations of the natural world, the joys of family, the treasure of discovered love, the journey of self-discovery, philosophical musings, political commentary, patriotic reflections, and the pursuit of justice. Duffin’s poetry also explores the complexities of friendship, the pain of loss, and the inevitability of death.

This groundbreaking work of fiction will captivate your mind as you traverse space and time alongside the author, who fearlessly delves into the very essence of self-expression. Throughout her poetry, Duffin never loses sight of the profound impact and influence of the past, acknowledging the experiences that have shaped her as both a writer and a human being.

Embark on this transformative literary journey with Joanne S. Duffin, and allow her unique voice to guide you through a landscape of beauty, understanding, and introspection, as her thoughts and words weave a tapestry of the human condition.

When Darkness Reigned

A long time has passed since the ‘High Kingdom’ brazenly executed its campaign of genocide and ruthlessly slaughtered the majority of their people in the hope of finding a child with a secret.

Fortunately for those resourceful enough to survive under the dark reign, an underground network of interconnected factions have been plotting an uprising for some time and they have a secret of their own.

Who is Richard Stands and Why Do Our Children Pledge Their Allegiance to Him?

I remember my first day of school first as a student and then as a teacher. I was even more nervous as a teacher. I knew the material. I understood what I was supposed to teach. But I felt unprepared. When I walked into that classroom, I had no idea how to get my kids to buy what I was selling. After two years of uncertainty and self-doubt, I decided to stop trying to be something I wasn’t. I started being me. No more referring to my class as students. They were now “my kids.” A wise, veteran teacher once told me, “Get your kids to love you and they will do whatever you ask.” That’s exactly what we did. We started building real connections with the kids and their parents. The kids bought in. A lot of the parents did too. This family environment created daily rewards for all of us. These daily rewards were the reason we all wanted to be there.

Open the book. Read the first chapter. Then maybe the chapter on daily rewards. Relate it to your own experiences. See how we created a ‘Triangle of Trust.’ See how we created a family each year for eighteen years. A classroom filled with kindness, compassion, and a lot of laughter and joy. A classroom where good learning flourishes. It works. It’s fun. It’s a real family. Your family. I hope you enjoy it. I still miss opening the door each morning and turning on the light.

Top Leaf

Embark on a delightful journey with a curious little girl, as she unfolds the wonders of her world! Top Leaf invites you to see the magic of everyday through her wide-eyed wonder. Her joy is infectious as she revels in the beauty of trees, cherishes the waves lapping at the beach, and finds excitement in all the little adventures that lie in between. With each page, her enthusiasm for the simple joys around her will surely brighten your day and remind you of the endless magic that surrounds us all. So, come along and discover the world anew through her charming escapades!

The Toad and His Warts

In this endearing Clarke Fable, a young toad finds great delight in counting his glorious warts, but runs into trouble when he tries to count all of them. He remains persistent in his goal, never giving up, and finally finds a solution to his problem. Be sure to look for the beautiful dragonfly as it flits throughout the pages! This book has a repeating chorus that will be helpful to young children who are early readers.