Art and Poetry by Pollock

Life was smooth sailing and quite normal up until my mom Janis was killed in a car accident heading from Santa Cruz California to Carmel when I was 11 years old. After her death, life changed drastically from a nice gentle breeze to a category five tornado; an inferno of drugs, lies and alibis. Let’s just say… No more smooth sailing. When the dust began to settle at the age of 24, I enlisted in the United States Navy and set sail for a better life and once again it was smooth sailing.

Here are some of my experiences, thoughts, and photographs of my artwork which I use as a way to process my childhood traumas.

Processing as I stack stones and transfer the negative energy into a beautiful piece of work giving it life; it lives then eventually dies, taking the negative energy with it.

I hope you feel something from these pages within.

Around the World in 51 Illustrated Poems

Have you ever visited the “High Flyer Show” in Jurong Park of Singapore? A trained bird picks up the wallet of a visitor, flies for a while, and then returns it with the signal of the trainer.

The world-famous, 183-foot “Leaning Tower” of Pisa in Italy, with four degrees bend, never topples. What is the mystery behind it? The theory of gravitational pull is the answer.

Get a touch of the romance of Romeo and Juliet with a glance at “Juliet’s balcony” in Verona, Italy. It is worth the visit.

The “Colosseum” in Rome is a historical treasure trove which hosted gladiator fights. Why not visit the amphitheater to explore the architecture and enjoy the seventh wonder of the world.

You will be lauded and speechless to watch the beauty and vastness of “Niagara Falls” in Canada, the best surprise of the world! Discover the “1000 Islands” after enjoying a cruise ride in the Saint Lawrence River.

Look at the famous gigantic “Three-legged Broken Chair”, “Einstein House” and “Rose Garden” of Switzerland, teeming with millions of visitors. Those are historical sites.

You must survey the Australian surprises of “Glass Bottom Boat”, “Kiama Blowhole”, “Glory of Twelve Apostles” to explore the wonders of the sea. 

Apart from the travelogue, this book of poems is a wonderful collection of other miscellaneous aspects of human life and society at large. It leaves whispered instructions to lovers of poetry to enjoy humor, history, art, education, and inspires them to recite the poems.

An Owl's Tales

Life is a trail of crossing paths, some barely noticed, others with profound impacts. Did Santa bring that special football or the right Barbie doll? Did you pass that tough high school teacher’s course? Remember your first love? Was the pound puppy with sad but hopeful eyes ever chosen? Was the homeless beggar on the corner worth helping? The paths of Santa and teachers and loves and others who need help influence the course of our path, some for good, others not so much. But all of your paths make you, you.

Is it better to know or to feel what we should do? Maybe it doesn’t matter as long as the trail is guided by the heart. One man’s journey through a lifetime of crossed paths is portrayed in An Owl’s Tales. Some paths will sound familiar; some will challenge; some will motivate, while others will touch your heart. The wise old owl who sleeps with one eye open observes everything, reacts to little, but remembers. When your race is run, what will have been your important paths?

American Stories

American Stories is a series of short poems about life in a changing America. 

Melancholic stories, sketched out over wandering feelings of despair and longing, meandering through a deep changing political and social landscape.

Capturing themes from key moments in contemporary American culture, alongside stories of frustration and despair, inspired by more recent events. The selection of poems within explores feelings drawn out in everyday America, from a nation at times left in despair, let down by so-called leaders, and left uncertain about its future, with many questioning its place in the world today.

We hope and we pray in the American way. It’s only poetry they say…

Ain't This a Bitch?

Permit me, if you will, to invite you to the land of plenty! Plenty of this, plenty of that. Plenty of ‘going to the mat’ for the cause célèbre du jour, or for something less. Plenty of ‘bullshit!’ Plenty of pet peeves and more. And plenty of moments where you’ll wonder, ‘Now, did that just happen?’

Ain’t This a Bitch? by J Sam takes you on a journey through the highs, lows, and in-betweens of navigating the all-too-common ‘isms’ that constantly challenge us. Indulge in every stanza and go beyond seeing yourself as a ‘victim.’ Let J Sam guide you, journey by journey, irony by irony, and smackdown by smackdown, through the ‘poetic justice’ of living in, and loving, America. This is the ‘land of the free’ where bravery about ‘difference’ meets its adversary: a beast, two-legged and ferocious, pandering to the irrelevant histories of less benevolent men.

Come one, come all, into this thrall, where complexity resides in the truths about the ‘socio-politics’ leading you to these pages. Pages that never fail to deliver, ‘on point!’ Pages that reject the notion of wallowing in the mud of ‘pretense,’ and instead, celebrate the beauty of the word in its magnificent expression!

This poet offers you contemporary and timeless literary excellence, not easily perceived by the eye (naked in its rush to judgment) nor the ear (given over to ‘the squeaky wheel’) in a nation under siege by the greasy freedoms of verse.

Adonia

Humanity has made astonishing technological and scientific progress over the last century. But what risks being lost is a proper appreciation of how all progress came to pass, what made it possible. Many of the great minds who helped to propel us into the modern age did so through quiet introspection and deep thinking. Adonia offers the reader the chance to step back to this form of reflective engagement.

If we may only venture towards truth once we inherit the willingness to explore it, Adonia’s verses are a depiction of such an inheritance. The work itself is a collection of thoughts, all of which narrate discovery with unharmed truth. 

A Portrait to Paint

The poems in A Portrait To Paint celebrate two journeys: the career in New York City that Andréa Suarez Hill had in print, broadcast and photo journalism until 1987; as well as the life she and her husband made when they moved to Down East Maine and created a salt water farm on a bay near the ocean.  The poetry reflects these two very different rural and urban lifestyles.

The section titled “We,” as a metaphor for the family of man, captures daily news from across the globe: climate change, social injustice, the Covid pandemic, political issues and more.

In the chapter titled “You,” Suarez-Hill writes about her relationships with horses, wild animals, people and places both in New York and Maine.

The last part of the book, “Me,” expresses her inner world, feelings about aging as well as about her childhood, family and friends.  A reader feels the wonder Andréa Suarez Hill experiences across the years wherever she lives and looks.

A Misguided Thought

A Misguided Thought is a collection of poetry that shows the overall life experiences of a 21-year-old—from living a sheltered life writing about his hopes and dreams to struggling with mental disorders, heartache, and trying to find his way back to the light through faith itself. The words within these pages intend to bring solace and clarity in times of conviction, and Jaelyn has come to be one of this generation’s greatest poets.

A Life of Poems for All Seasons

The changing of the seasons, the dreams of the young, the times of happiness, and times of complete despair. Struggles, wishes, beliefs, relationships; these are all part of the experiences that make up our lives and form who we are. Each season has its own memories which come together to create a lifetime. 

A Journey Within Us

Life is complicated. As you delve deeper into your emotions and confront your fears, a certain sense of understanding evolves, fostering personal growth. Adversity often breeds creativity and strength; you just need to be prepared to open your heart and soul to the truth.

In this book of poetry, I expose my deepest, most personal thoughts to anyone who decides to read. The main work evolved from waking during the night and contemplating the river, trees, and birds at the bottom of the property where I lived. I entered a realm in my mind that had developed from a young age, where the intricate details of life – people, animals, plants, ideas, creativity, questions – fascinated me.

Music has always been a great solace for my mind, heart, and soul. Listening to some of the classic songwriters, I have always been amazed by the craft of their lyrics. I often dreamed of being a songwriter, finding incredible freedom in expressing thoughts and feelings on a day-to-day journey.

A Journal Entry

Marina Flores captivates exactly what it means to grow up in a small town while being queer. Identity is often difficult to grapple with, not to mention the turmoil of denying one’s innermost desires, and small towns aren’t exactly known for having a whole lot of diversity.

We are suddenly put in the shoes of a small-town kid who hides their rainbow socks. As if looking back from a mirror, Marina enthralls us by showing exactly who we are, blemishes and all. Self-discovery and tribulation come together as one big happy family in her debut book.

A heart wrenching and personal account, anyone could find solace in her kind and honest words. An out member of the LGBTQ community, Marina shares with us a glimpse into her world. Members or not, we are handed a VIP pass.

Touching on the themes of queer identity, womanhood, nature, love, and culture – A Journal Entry feels like coming home.

A Doorway Into Thanks

Poetry should be transitive, and deal with something other. Thus, a doorway offers transition, liminal space, an invitation, a going across, into possibly numerous somethings other. We can’t assume, however, that the door is always open; if closed, we need to open it. A doorway can confront us: Have we the courage to reach for the handle? Given the horrors of 2020 and 2021, we must open the door both to grieving and thanksgiving. The poems here are midrashim. Midrash is a reflection on scripture. These poems first imagine passages and stories from the Bible and then reimagine them: they build stages, create, and breathe life into characters, and landscape biblical passages with new, often challenging, backgrounds. Many of the poems here have religio-political subtexts. The poems speak of darkness, the things that darken our country and our hearts, but they also speak of the life-giving lights of mystery, wonder, and thanksgiving, the things that give us hope. As writer and poet Louise Erdrich tells us, “This is how our lives complete themselves, / as effortless as weather, circles blaze / in ordinary days, and through our waking selves / they reach, to touch our true and sleeping speech.”