As a young boy, I spent most of my time down on the banks of the Lily Cache Creek , near Plainfield, Illinois. I loved to fish, hunt snakes, or skip rocks across the water. Many hours I spent alone watching the creek flow slowly by and watching every movement in the water. I recall the day as I sat so still that a red fox came to the creek bank only a few feet away and after several wary sips of water quietly disappeared into the woods. I have a true love of nature, acquired as a boy. When I was 15, I bought my first rowboat for $13. I painted the boat bright yellow and applied flower decals all over it. Those were the days of "Flower Power". No one could ever find me after that. Sometimes I would sneak into Renwick Lake and fish in the gravel quarry. There were stories of the biggest catches of bass you ever heard of, caught from that lake. I can tell a few myself!
Neighborhood kids believed the penalty for getting caught fishing in Renwick Lake was imprisonment or possible death. The lake was owned by the gravel quarry and patroled by armed guards. Far worse, was knowing that our parents would be contacted and that we might be whipped, then grounded for the rest of our lives if caught. My Dad knew how to give a good whippin' (if there is such a thing). Once in a while when he would go fishing with me and possibly my brother, he would sneak into Renwick Lake too. We both promised not to tell Mom, so if she ever found out, it wasn't from me. I hope you enjoy my collection of poetry. It is my method of sharing a lifetime of experience and memories...... Your Friend, Steven
My Dad worked in the gas pipeline industry, so my parents found it necessary to travel quite a bit when I was young. I had lived in 27 states and Canada before I was 5 years old. Perhaps that instilled in me the travel-lust and wanderer's spirit that I have always had. I love to go to new places, to see new scenery, and to simply discover.
I was raised in Illinois, where I attended elementary through high school, but summers were often spent in either Mississippi with relatives of my mother, or in Colorado with relatives of my father. I loved to sit on the bank of a farm pond and catch bream, bass, and catfish, but enjoyed just as much wading the mountain streams catching rainbow and native cut-throat trout.
My grandmother on my mom's side was always my biggest fan. She saved my life from the fury of my father when I was just two years old. There is a very intriguing sound made as brand new Craftsman wrenches are dropped down a sewer drain. What a disappointment it must have been when they were all gone and there was nothing left to make music with. Sometimes parents just don't get it! There is no greater feeling of comfort or safety than being rocked as a child in Grandmother's arms. The poem "Both Sleeping" was inspired by this very idea.
I studied art at Cedarville College after high school, but due to financial difficulty, the college discontinued their art program. Two friends of mine bought the College print shop and moved it to a building downtown. They contracted my help to operate the press and do artwork as required, in trade for a sleeping room in the back of the shop. I made a deal with the local grocer to paint 6 paper signs per week in trade for food to eat. That is how I got involved with painting signs. My first sign was to reletter the town's police car. It paid $30 in cash money. Then came a federally mandated 6'x8' sign for a new sewage construction project. I earned $120 for that but had to buy materials. Without formal instruction, it took a while to learn how to produce professional quality signs, but I reckon anything you do long enough, you are bound to get good at.
I have been painting signs professionally for 30 years now. One of my favorite mentors, Charles Thames, gave me a book by a sign painter/artis/poet named Eric Sloane entitled "I Remember America". Sloane stated the poetry was very much like painting, and wondered why more painters did not pursue both. I knew I had always enjoyed poetry, so I thought I would give it a more diligent effort.
Friends who read my poems have encouraged me to put them in a book, which I have titled "Palette of the Heart". Once I had self published my book in a spiral binder, most of the ones who had encouraged me considered themselves such "good" friends that they expected the book for free. Tired of paying repeatedly to have a book published which nobody wants to buy anyway, I decide to post them on a website for all to enjoy. In time most of my poems will be here.
Feel free to make use of my poetry in your personal life. You have my permission to use my poems in your greeting cards or personal notes with two stipulations. First give credit where credit is due. Do not steal my work. Secondly, please do not mass produce copies of my work without sharing royalties. I would be happy to accept money from you if you find a way to use my poems for profit. Most of all, I hope you find your visits of this site to be pleasurable events.
Steve Hodgin
I currently live and work in southwest Missouri. I started sign painting while working in a print shop in Cedarville, Ohio . From there I moved to Colorado and learned much of my trade on my own while painting signs for the business owners of Berthoud, Loveland and Estes Park. I still produce plenty of make signs which I sell for cash or trade. I prefer to work on higher quality projects. I am not in business to compete with the "dime a dozen" vinyl cutting shops in operaton these days. I am willing to travel to do wall murals or certain more interesting specialty projects.
My book, "Palette of the Heart" is out of print If you would like to place an order for one you may do so by sending me an email at [email protected].
The price of the spiral bound book is 14.95 plus $6.50 for Priority Mail postage and handling for the first copy. Add $2.50 for postage and handling on each additional copy shipped to the same address.
If you would like your copy autographed, please add $2.00 for special handling and indicate this on your letter. If you would like your name drawn and colorized on the inside cover page along with an author's autograph, please add $10 per copy. Each hand drawn name is signed, dated and numbered by the author.
If you know of a cool hang out for poets and writers, please let us know. Sometimes I might like to attend poetry readings. I do not particularly enjoy the ones where people think that poetry must be vulgar and filled with curse words to be artistic self expression. If you have plenty of money and wish to contribute to the advancement of the site and the personal well being of the author please feel free to send all you can to the above address.
My History with Friday the 13th
When I was about to turn 13 years of age, I decided that I would use the number as a theme for a party, since my birthday lands on the 13th of November. I invited thirteen boys and reserved the number 13 and 14 lanes at a local bowling alley. Tonsilitus was the most unwelcome guest that day so the party had to be cancelled.
I got a card from a acquaintance today with good luck tokens four leaf clover, rabbit's foot (very unlucky for the rabbit by the way), a leprecaun, a pot of gold with a rainbow, lucky horseshoe, etc. at a web site. Whoever designed the web page for that Friday the 13th site was certainly ignorant!!! They had the "lucky horseshoe rotating. The superstition is that you are never to allow the horseshoe to turn with the legs downwards because all the good luck will run out!!! At no time was the horseshoe ever in the proper direction, so the sender is actually sending a curse!!!
Good thing I do not believe any of that... although the last Friday the 13th that I can recall is in August of 1999. On that day my parents 66 year marriage was ended by legal judgement and on the same day my Grandmother on my Dad's side passed away.
Today I found a letter from a client which I had forgotten to open and it had a crisp ten dollar bill in it. Good Luck for me!
