MY FAVORITE POEM is Hope, by Emily Dickinson, because I love birds & what they represent. As a reader, I’m drawn to the underdog: the self-conscious, anxious, depressed, lonely, grieving, misunderstood or insecure character who struggles in life; the one who has a hard time learning how to communicate & connect with others; the person who struggles with prejudice or in tough situations. When things seem their worst, we all need hope for a better future & a better world.
HOPE
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without words
And never stops – at all.
And here’s a poem of mine:
SAND DREAMS
Dig your toes in cool, wet sand
Waves wash in and set them free
Castles rise in a shifting land
Soaring over a restless sea
Showing his kind, creative spirit, my son wrote this poem on his service trip to Jamaica with the Mustard Seed Organization. ( www.mustardseed.com ) :
Simplicity
by Brendan Tobin, April 2014
The simplest things in life do not have to be big
they can be a smile, or a laugh
maybe even a tear of joy.
Someone can help someone else, or give money.
In the moment, it’s the thought
that counts.
Immersed within the Jamaican community,
you see diverse groups of people,
Ones who can speak and others who cannot.
Some might be tied down, while others are free
But when they are with us,
they have a smile.
Laughing, smiling, 
and playing together
Everyone making it better at the end of the day-
and we say good-bye.
They come over and give us hugs, not letting go,
and always making it last
even in the silence of solitude.
——————————
Here’s a recent one of mine created from that deep, sad place of mourning for & missing my son:
A ‘broken heart’ is not a simple metaphor
or easy fix to mend with good intent.
Grief widens cracks then pressure builds as rivers pour
through holes we cannot readily cement.
We all have poetry in our souls, so keep writing, hoping, & dreaming, and work to make your dreams come true! Writing poetry will also help you write better novels, finding more emotional connections in your images. You’ll find some of your poem can also make great song lyrics.