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Howard (Hal) Thomas Manogue was born in Philadelphia, and is a forerunner to the Indigo children, a now age term for misfit with an intuitive nature, a desire to know his truth with a gift of giving and sharing. Hal retired from the shoe industry after 35 years of sole searching, and discovered his real soul.
He enjoys art, music, philosophy, psychology, nature and people.
His poems have been published by: Mystic Pop Magazine, Children Of The New Earth Magazine, New Age Tribune, Seasons Of The Soul Newsletters, New World View, Lightship News and Writers In The Sky Newsletters. His essays can be found on www.ezinearticles.com, www.authorsden.com, www.faceyourself.com, www.jasonsnetwork.com, www.ascension.net, www.selfgrowth.com and 0ver 1000 sites other around the world. Hal’s Blog and Website: http://halmanogue.blogspot.com/ www.shortsleeves.net
He lives in Franklin Tennessee.
Hal’s new book: Short Sleeves Insights: Live An Ordinary Life In A Non-Ordinary Way was published in May 2008. Visit any book store or Hal’s website to get a copy. Hal’s third Collection Of poetry: Short Sleeves Spirit Songs was published in July 2008.
A Blue Print Of An Unknown Reality
Webster's Dictionary defines a poem as: An arrangement of words written or spoken that express experiences, ideas or emotions in a style that is more concentrated, imaginative and powerful than that of ordinary speech or prose. Some poems are in meter, others in prose and others are in free style.
When I began writing poems I didn’t read that definition. I didn’t expect to spend my life writing a form of poetry that is to most that read it, a self-given poetic license. The poems I write do not fit into the recognized structure of poetry; they are hybrids of thought that are hard to understand in normal terms. Using accepted beliefs about the nature of my existence will not bring my work into focus. By releasing myself to another form of my consciousness I am able to verbalize that consciousness in a manner that is unique, yet similar.
This journey of awareness began early in life for me, but I repressed it and felt a great amount of fear when I realized the diversity that existed within me. I made the choice to live my life as a typical human, working, marrying, having children and being generally discontent in the circumstances that formed my life. I blamed this feeling on others and outside factors that did not want me to feel good about myself; it was easier to put the burden of unhappiness on something or someone else and continue living in fear and anger. I was able to judge others; I put myself on a table of right and wrong so that I could justify my actions. I was the fork that lifted the food of righteousness to my mouth and the knife that cut the unwanted fat of diversity from my plate. I was the spoon that swirled and dissolved the sugar of lies into my drink of anxiety. I sat at this table for almost forty years and then the table collapsed.
My mother died in 1996, and her death completely shattered that table into tiny pieces. I wanted answers about death; I wanted answers about sickness and I wanted answers about living. I began a new journey through time reading everything I could find about those topics and I found myself meeting someone I never expected to meet; another me. All the philosophy books, all the psychology books and the self help books from voices around the world lead me to a place that I had completely forgotten, called the unknown reality within me.
I found a blueprint of myself waiting for me to build a physical foundation of freedom in linear time. The blueprint had always been there wrapped in a corner of my mind waiting for me to feel it. I began to feel it through the words of Rumi the 13th century Sufi poet. I felt it through Rilke the 19th century German poet. Through other poets such as: Goethe, Blake, Dickinson, Takahashi, and Buson; the list is long. I found life after physical death in their words and I knew my mother was still alive and focused on another stream of her consciousness. In 1998 I began to write poetry and I write and live it everyday since my awakening. My blue print of consciousness has become a physical life.
My words come from that blueprint, and at times they are hard to understand with this focused consciousness, but at some point in time they begin to make sense. My purpose in this physical life is to experience the variety and complexity that physical consciousness gives me, so I can expand the other aspects of my self. My Spirit Songs are the vehicles that comes from my subjective awareness, and are painted in objectivity, so I can ride in my now. They are spirit songs of love.
As I begin my yearly collection of Short Sleeves A Book For Friends (this is the fourth year) I do it with joy, gratitude and acceptance. I invite all of you to feel that blueprint; feel your unknown reality, by tasting mine. Yours will be different and diverse but it is as valid as mine is. Now is the moment for remembering and I offer my work as universal service to All There Is.
Hal Manogue
www.shortsleeves.net
http://halmanogue.blogspot.com/
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