Recently, I was invited to provide a line or two for a community poem that my friend, author an poet Brad Bott, was heading up.
A bunch of us literary types, as well as maybe other people, contributed. We sent Brad random lines that popped into our heads, not having any clue what anyone else was sending him.
He put the lines all together, trying to keep everything as submitted. He did have to change a word here or there for cohesiveness and whatnot. Below is what he came up with:
Eccentric People
Eccentric people are fascinating
carrying on like life doesn’t weigh
quite as heavy as we believe.
They put the puzzle together
even when the pieces don’t fit,
as if that would solve everything.
Waltzing to the tune in their heads
at a frantic pace,
dancing the razor’s edge,
without being cut,
by the prospects of a bleak tomorrow
Eccentric people are prophets
Divining the answers to questions
we didn’t even know we had
through cloudy crystal balls
that reveal the same prophecy
again and again
Dark is the future,
days of sorrow brought them here.
The kind of sorrow that leaves one parched,
thirsty for one drop of understanding,
begging for the clouds to burst,
releasing a storm of truth,
a rain that floods the soul with joy.
Yet come hell or high waters,
Hope, though fragile,
takes root in their hearts
Sprouting and growing
Until the fruit it bears
is ready for harvest
Eccentric people are ravenous
for the knowledge its shares
Devouring the wisdom it imparts
Dripping with the sweet nectar of universal truth
Today is a beautiful day,
so start fresh, start it new
No longer feel sad and blue
live with joy the whole day through
Because love is the answer
That is it and nothing more
So blessing to all the eccentric people
Dream well, Dance often
Eat your corn dogs in the shower.
because you are all a part of us
making the future look a little less dark
Paul J. Hoffman - Author/Publisher/Actor 
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