Shakespeare was inspired by his Dark Lady (most likely the lovely Italian musician Emilia Bassano); Keats by his next door neighbor, Fanny Brawne; Lord Byron (with, I fear, little affection on either side) by his wife, Annabella Milbanke; and Leigh Hunt by a generic Jenny, to poetic fancy. Now we can add Fairweather Lewis to that group of ladies. I have been honored by the vagabond poet DT Oldman with a poem dedicated to me.

DT and I first were acquainted on a small messageboard operated by a well-known cable news personality's staff, although I was using another name then. DT's travels, reminiscent of those of the French poet Francois Villon (or for that matter the Genoese adventurer Marco Polo), have been the inspiration for many of his works. He is in the process, although regrettably still caught in the toils of the Texas prison system, of arranging for the publication of his poetry and memoirs, of which poems to a lady named Annie Mollie and to yours truly form some part. Both poems are masterful blends of humor and pathos.

I am honored, my friends, because, although I have in my somewhat surreal life written many a poem FOR someone, no one has ever written one FOR ME.

Do pay a visit over to DT's current outlet:

http://gnostix1.blogstream.com

And on that poetic note, fair thee well.