Please allow me tell you a little about myself, actually quite a bit about myself. Please don't be overwhelmed ! I just feel that the better picture I can paint of myself - the less chance that either of us will waste time on trying to make a connection when it simply will not work.
I am a recently divorced man living in the West GA area. I have two children, an 9 year old daughter who lives with her mother, and a 17 year old son who lives with me. My ex wife was my high school sweetheart. We were together for 30 years, 24 of those years married. I don't say this because I still carry a torch for her, she is not "baggage". I only mention it to point out that I am not a "player". I'm not out to put notches in my headboard.
I am 48 years old, born and raised in GA. I am 5’ 9” and weigh approximately 185 pounds; I am a tad overweight, but not fat. I don’t smoke or drink alcohol, although I used to.

I work in manufacturing, and also in shipping / receiving, but I do not define myself by my job. I have done many varied jobs in my life.
From running a drive - thru at Mickey D's to being a Disc Jockey at a college radio station. (and yes, I actually cued up vinyl !). Antique furniture repair and refinishing, I also stripped old finishes off...(you could say I was "stripper").
Cabinet builder, finisher, touch - up artist ... I've done a lot of different things. I really want to get involved in more creative endeavors, as this employs my artistic temperament. At this point in my life, I'm mainly concerned with raising my son to be the best man that he can be.

The thing I'm best at is communication. I enjoy talking to people and getting to know them better. There are many different viewpoints in the world and I am a firm believer that there is a lot to learn from others. I like to think of myself as an relatively enlightened soul, and I love to spread knowledge. I still retain the inquisitive nature of a child and I am always asking questions. Answered questions provide knowledge - knowledge is power, and with great power comes great responsibility.

I find the best way for me to counsel and teach others is through my poetry and art. Poems by their very nature make the reader evaluate subjectively and by looking inside themselves, people learn more than if you were to preach at them. It is akin to zen.
If you really want to understand life and the meaning of it all, you first must do some soul searching. The answer is not over the rainbow but deep inside you.

The digital images I create to illustrate my poems do much the same thing. Art is subjective just like poetry. What is art to one is junk to another and vice - versa. If you need the message it will be apparent to you. If it isn't you either don't need it, or you aren't looking. My images are sometimes subtle - sometimes in your face, but a picture is worth a thousand words and can invoke thought where a poem might fail to do so.

I am an excellent cook, always trying new things in the kitchen and creating new tastes that push the boundaries in cuisine.
Although I love to cook southern style foods and "soul food",
my favorite types of food are eclectic and ethnic. If the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, the way to a woman's heart is through her tastebuds ! lol

If you would like to see a sample of my poetry, I have posted one in the "You should message me if" box. I will try to change the poem regularly. If you like them, send me a message and I will give you a link where you can see not only my posted poems, but my images as well.

My eyes are usually what people comment on most frequently. I am told how intense they are, how they seem to bypass your outer layer and look directly into your soul. I am a bit of a loner, a mysterious shadow to most who meet me. I tend to keep to myself unless I see something in another that intrigues me, but if that happens chances are I will allow you to see past my mystery. I am a man of deep emotions and raw passion. I believe in total honesty, no matter how painful it can be.

I am a voracious reader.
Books I have read:

Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll.
Charlotte’s Web - E.B. White.
The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien.
The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien.
Animal Farm - George Orwell.
Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell.
Lord of the Flies - William Golding.
Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov.
Catch 22 - Joseph Heller.
Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger.
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley.
Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck.
For Whom the Bell Tolls - Ernest Hemingway.
A Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemingway.
Non-Fiction:
Cosmos - Carl Sagen.
The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark - Carl Sagen.
The Universe in a Nutshell - Stephen Hawking.
The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test - Tom Wolf.
Science-Fiction:
A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole.
The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams.
Dune - Frank Herbert.
Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein.
The Puppet Masters - Robert Heinlein.
I, Robot - Issac Asimov.
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury.
Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury.
Alternative Novels:
Cosmic Trigger series - Robert Anton Wilson.
On The Road - Jack Kerouac.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter S. Thompson.
True Hallucinations - Terence Mc Kenna.
Naked Lunch - William Burroughs.
Howl - Poems by Allen Ginsberg.
Religious books I have read portions of:
Most of the New Testament of the Bible - a lot of the Old Testament.
The Book of Mormon.
The Hindu Vedas.
The Kama Sutra.
Big Steven King Fan - also Bachman !

I like comedies most of all, the wackier the better.
Some favorites would include:
Forrest Gump - Ed Wood - Forbidden Zone ( crazy cult movie).
Rocky Horror Picture Show (another goofy cult movie).
Monty Python Movies ( Holy Grail - Meaning of Life - Life of Brian).
Kentucky Fried Movie - The Boob Tube - Airplane! -
The Naked Gun series with Leslie Nielson.
any movie by Mel Brooks, Jack Black, Rob Reiner, Paul Reubens,
Thomas (Cheech) Marin and Tommy Chong.
Live Stand Up Comedy Movies:
My favorite comics are: Robin Williams - George Carlin - Steve Martin - Eddie Murphy - Richard Pryor.
Fantasy Movies include: The Princess Bride - Time Bandits - Fantasia - The Wizard of Oz.
I like some Science Fiction Movies, but most don't make the transition from novel to silver screen very well.
Drama if it is well written and for the most part epic.
Action Movies if there is a good plot, and not just an excuse to shoot people and blow up stuff.
Horror Movies to me are mostly laughable, particularly slasher films.
I do enjoy most zombie movies but they are laughable too, sometimes on purpose !
The only ones that really scare me are the ones that have some factual basis, such as demonic possession.
I love cartoons, especially the old black and white "Merrie Melody" cartoons and classic Warner Brothers stuff: Bugs Bunny, the Roadrunner, Foghorn Leghorn, Sylvester and Tweety.
I also like Ren and Stimpy - Bevis and Butthead - The Simpsons
Family Guy - American Dad.
Huge Classic SNL fan !

I was at one time a "disc jockey" for a college radio station.
I like Mozart to Metallica and most of what falls between. My favorite genres are Rock and Roll and the Blues, and I hold a special place in my heart for the Beatles.
Rock Favorites would include (in no particular order) :
Jimi Hendrix - Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young - the Allman Brothers - band - the Eagles - Flying Burrito Brothers - Derrick Trucks band - Grand Funk Railroad - Creedence Clearwater Revival - Lynard Skynard - The Who - early Elton John - Pink Floyd - Led Zeppelin - Stones - Cream - the Byrds - Deep Purple -
David Bowie - Genesis (with and without Peter Gabriel) - Emerson, Lake, and Palmer - YES - King Crimson - Electric Light Orchestra - Styx - Velvet Underground - The B52's - R.E.M. - the Black Crowes - Frank Zappa - "Weird" Al Yankovitch.

I like a lot of the Big Hair Metal Bands from the 80's.
Some of the newer music I enjoy is: Nirvana - Soundgarden - Sublime - Rage Against The Machine - Pearl Jam
System Of A Down - Stone Temple Pilots.
My fave Blues Artists : Robert Johnson - Muddy Waters - Howlin' Wolf - Ray Charles.
Soul Artists : James Brown - Sam and Dave - Aretha Franklin - Otis Redding.
I love music, all kinds, but I'm not a fan of most new "pop" country, or most rap.
The only rap I do like is the Beastie Boys and some Eminem.
I do like some old classic country music such as Hank Williams Sr. - Hank Jr. - Merle Haggard - Johnny Cash - Waylon Jennings - Willie Nelson - David Allen Coe.

I enjoy all kinds of food and I am very adventurous when it comes to food. I'll bite it if it does not bite me back !
I like ethnic cuisine, from soul food to sushi. Chinese, Thai, French, Cajun, Creole, East Indian, Italian, Mexican, you name it and I like it ! I also LOVE to cook. I cook everything from soul food to eclectic ethnic cuisine. Cooking is yet another way to show my artistic flair, and I have been told I am very good at it. Turn me loose in your kitchen, and I'll bet you dollars to donuts, I'll have your mouth watering like Pavlov's dog !

oxygen
water
food
sunlight
shelter
fire
OH ! you wanted the list of things I could do without, but would be miserable if I didn't have them. Let's see ...
my family
friends
the internet
my odd sense of humor
my creative outlets
a warm, sweet, intelligent woman to be my friend and lover

The Divine Creator. I am not religious for the most part, but I am very spiritual. I think that most religions of the word are praying to the exact same "God", but because of different cultural backgrounds and interpretations by prophets trying to give the message to people of their particular time and place, the messages differ.

I also think about how we should be protecting our individual freedoms granted by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
It concerns me that the majority of people don't seem to be even slightly concerned about the slowly eroding personal liberties that set our great nation apart from all the rest.

Also:
Why this country allowed so many of the manufacturing jobs to move to other countries. America was built on industry, it is what made this country so strong. What about the work ethic ? It used to be that a man or woman took great pride in their work, it was a direct reflection of their commitment to quality. Seems like everybody's goal these days is to be as big a slacker as they can get away with. Who decided that we should move to a service based economy ? Can a service based economy support itself ?
Seems like you need industry to provide services the opportunity to serve. (Did I just say that ?! LOL ) on a more whimsical note........
Why is there an expiration date on sour cream ?
If you add your username to your ignore list, would you not be able to read your own posts?
Why do we park on a driveway and drive on a parkway?
If all those psychics know the winning lottery numbers, why are they still working?
And my biggest question ... We know what the speed of light is, but what is the speed of dark ?

I'm just getting started with this dating thing, so I'm really not sure about how to answer this. I don't drink, so bars are not where you would find me. I do like to bowl (although I'm not very good at it). I like to play miniature golf, and I love to shoot pool. ( My game is off and on. If I shot consistently as good as I do half of the time, I would claim to be a shark!)
Usually though, you will find me sitting behind my computer keyboard, talking to online friends, and Googling whatever I find interesting while surfing the web. I am the type of person that while researching a subject if I happen to see something that intrigues me, I will drop my original subject and move on to the new intriguing one !
If not chatting or web surfing I will playing with images on Photoshop, or writing original poetry, prose or lyrics.
Sounds nerdy I know, but it's kind of hard to paint the town red without a date. Which is, as I'm sure you understand, the reason that I am here in the first place !
If after chatting, we both agree to meet, I would imagine a first date would be as follows...

First, I think we should meet for a cup of coffee or tea, just to see if there is any physical attraction. If so, then maybe a walk allowing us to talk and get to know each other a little better.
If we really hit it off, I would love to cook for you the dinner of your choice followed by some cuddling. ( I am very affectionate ) These are only suggestions, we should decide together what we both would enjoy doing.

I will tell you nothing private without getting to know you first.
I posted a lot of information on here so anyone who might be interested can see exactly the type of person I am, but I refuse to allow the inner workings of my psyche be put on display. That will only happen through mutual trust.

You should message me if I seem like the kind of man who piques your interest and you are open for a long term relationship.

Now as promised is an original poem...

Queen Moon / King Sun

in time immortal before dawn of man
at the horizon where the sky meets the land
the queen of the moon and the king of the sun
through alchemical conception both became one

supreme force for their union sent doves to bless
they confronted each other in unashamed nakedness
the pure truth of their love was not a illusion
ultimate power released because of their fusion

in slow decaying orbit each one circling their lover
intuitively knowing where to caress one another
atmosphere charged with ozone crackling static
discovering the secret of powerful tantric magick

softly kissing feeling energy beginning to spark
between their lips electricity starting to arc
running her fingers from broad shoulders to chest
sighing as his hand gently cups heaving breast

passion white hot within each of them burning
from base chakra the fire is constantly churning
though the release desired is undeniably strong
to work the spell congress must be prolonged

she gasps for breath as he enters slowly
the act for both is most sacred and holy
joined as one focusing on predetermined goal
kundilini harnessed and kept under control

the power allowed to trickle follows the spine
with intentions of great will to enter the mind
until it is filled completely and no more can it hold
crown chakra opens like lotus and the magick explodes

with the force of a volcano as they give an outcry
each one holding the other as they shiver and sigh
eyes locked on each other sharing passionate kiss
changing the world through shared orgasmic bliss

.......... Mysticpoetgnosis