My next book of poetry, which should release sometime in early 2025, focuses primarily on humanity.
Humanity's frailty, resilience, incompetence, and brilliance. All that is great and terrible about humanity.
I find myself drawn to topics that look at humanity in a negative light, which expose its ugly underbelly, and show how flawed we are. And while I know we are capable of greatness, sometimes our accomplishments come at great cost, or are used for nefarious purposes. In our haste to explore and research, we often take shortcuts that have dire consequences, and these are the things that cause humans to expedite their own extinction.
Then again, humans often face unbeatable odds, invincible foes, and unsolvable puzzles and succeed. We don't always do it gracefully, but when we put our minds and hearts to it, we are able do things that we previously saw as unimaginable.
We are resilient, brilliant, strong, capable, determined, and stubborn. Our minds work tirelessly to solve problems that we are sure are impossible, and when we succeed, we surprise ourselves. And our hearts are boundless in their ability to give, and we are often willing to sacrifice ourselves for others. We're generous to a fault.
These are some of the things that make humans worthwhile, but there are many things that make me look at humanity and wonder why we exist at all. Why do we commit atrocious acts of violence? Why do we cheat and steal? Why do we rape and pillage? What makes us so greedy and callous?
And while my new book won't cover every topic mentioned here, as I go through my days, see what's happening in the world, listen to music, watch TV, talk to people, and all the rest of it, I think about us, where we're headed, and where we came from. I delve into humanity, what I know of it, and I try to find words that express my thoughts and feelings.
To sum up, the first and largest chapter of the book is a collection of poems that explore humanity. The darkness and the light. It provides a mirror into my own thoughts as well as a reflection of what many of you may be thinking.
I'm finishing the book now, and once the final edits are complete, and I have the cover and illustrations, I'll reveal more.
Until then, I can tell you the book will be called The Unknown Race.
Until next time.
Gary