Something always clicked with me whenever I read any of Dr. Seuss’ books. The way he rhymed was different and fresh…it didn’t follow the “perfect rhyme” outline. His characters were so fresh and the stories that lead these characters always had a meaning. One of the reasons (influences) I wrote “Blair the Bear” was because of him.
Poetry itself is another machine. My greatest influence is a man that had and will forever more have a “dark cloud” over his name, his poetry is “dark”, but unique if Hitchcock (another favorite) is the father of the thriller genre of movies then Mr. Edgar Allen Poe is the grandfather of the thriller short story. He wasn’t afraid to take his writing to depths that people/critics/essayists deemed “taboo” or “off-limits”. He explored the mind of darkness, but with an elegance that has its own place with the greatest poets/writers in history. Several of my poems are influenced by him and will continue to be.
So my question is: who are your influences not just with writing (if you write), but with life in general?
