Morphed into Sonnet Form Preview

CAR IMAGERY A woman is too pretty, like a Lexus. But, … to each, her own. So, she can’t be a nexus. A man is more like a Ford Wrangler. He’s just focused on the job at hand, like an angler. The two can unite … via amplexus. 391

TEACHING HISTORY I’ve taught karate, jujitsu & mathematics. … yes, included in that were a bunch of quadratics. I like to watch others … to find out what works. Plus, everyone’s got humorous quirks. Now, I could hold a seminar on kinematics. 392

BORDER BATTLE Why can’t I have both gopher love and badger pride?! … as the sports differ, I change my side. For football I like Wisco, ‘cuz my mom went there. I attended wrestling camp in the crisp Minnesota air. Wow! This border battle is one helluva ride. 393

DOES IT?! Does money bring happiness? Just the opposite, actually. I’ve only had crappiness. I wanna be social. But, I can’t buy friends. Will my social fortunes change, once my T.B.I. ends? Nonetheless, I’ve persevered with my scrappiness. 394

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY I’ve given my thoughts, even though I was not asked. Writing this poetry has certainly helped time go by fast. ‘Tis not that I’ve run out of ideas. My tangential mind wonders how tough an honorary degree is. Regrettably, this limerick is my last. 395



Author’s Note As a direct result of my Traumatic Brain Injury, I need order … in just about all I do. i.e. I kinda need … formatted writing for my debilitated left cerebral hemisphere. Therefore, it’s [only] science that can [kinda] explain my numerous eccentricities. Before my dreaded car accident on July 6, 2008, I was a mathematics aficionado. Now I’ve developed a stunningly astute cognitive grasp of the linguistic—not illustrative— arts. I write, when I’m unhappy. But, I become happy, when I write. It’s a very self-therapeutic sequence. I do enjoy the structured, usually specifically-enumerated format of poetry. So, one would think poetry is left-brained in its neural processing. However, poetry requires much creativity & language manipulation. So, in essence, its artsy-fartsy nature is very right- brained. Ergo, my poetry’s begging the question: If I were a film, would I be ‘the man with two brains’?



Acrostic This is a form of poetry where the first or last letters of each line create a name, word, or phrase. You can find these words by looking vertically at the beginning or end of the lines.



As Ladies Tout his Accomplishments Nimbly, Intelligent A.J. Silently Stews Over his own Social Mishaps And Romantic Travesties. Impeccably Apt Mathemagicians Don’t Enjoy Their

Especially Rare Mistakes Involving Numbers … Excluding Decimals. 402

METAPHORICAL People have used metaphors since the birth of mankind. Metaphors are a way to get around censorship as well as to help us see truths that we may not be able to face, if they were stated in plain text. ‘Tis a way to accentuate beauty as well as pain through this medium of the unstated comparison. When you are reading an appropriate metaphor, you are immediately drawn between the truth of the comparison to which the issue is being compared. The ability to understand metaphoric language opens the key to poetry of tremendous beauty. 403

STURDY STRUCTURE Stand tall, oh, monumental pillar. It may not look it. But, your foundation’s quite strong. If your uppermost levels can maintain stability in the changing conditions, then that means—by physics— your infrastructure really is secure. As long as your lower balance continues unfaltering, then the structure is unfazed. Ultimately, in building a strong conformation (configuration?), it starts at the bottom & works its way up. Yes, your top levels might sway in intense climatic conditions. Ya see, your roots will remain steady. You may not look that impressive externally. But, it’s what’s inside that truly matters. 404

EERIE SILENCE That ringing in the ears is deafening. Yearning for the sounds of feelings — sadness, pain, frustration, … anything. Inactivity is far worse than flat- out denial. The only option is to sit alone & ponder hypotheticals: What if there’s no loud mouthed rescue? What if a television is the only form of entertainment? What if there’s nobody to whisper sweet nothings in an ear? … what if the catastrophic accident included a shoulder roll? What if there were talking but not hearing? What if I only heard but did not listen? 405



Haiku Haiku is probably the most well-known form of traditional Japanese poetry. Its short structure & observational nature has inspired countless people to put their pen on the paper – or their fingers on the keyboard. A well-written haiku is a fantastic example of the art of communicating an immeasurable amount while actually typing such a scant wordload. Therefore, writing haiku is very good exercise to all aspiring poets. Traditional Haiku includes a seasonal reference. However, the author lives in Florida, where it’s summertime ~365 days a year. Thus, he’s gonna conveniently forget that [optional] aspect of the writing. The necessary format is FIRST line → 5 syllables, SECOND line → 7 syllables, THIRD & FINAL line → 5 syllables. Writing haiku, specifically, is kinda the author’s THING. So, this section’s gonna be a tad longer.



Ya know what’s not cool? Friends’ misunderstanding Of my T.B.I.

There are some good films, From which I could learn a LOT. Educational. 410

… Then, there’s comedy. Others are just entertaining. Hey, you’ve gotta laugh! 411

There’s rhythm in math. Three times four is ten … feels wrong. … Pi … is … three … one four. 412

Numbers relax me. … as long as the equation Is quite well-balanced. 413

Was a high school nerd. Proudly ‘summa cum laude’ … And a good wrestler. 414

No wrestler ever Earned the valedictory Title … ‘til I did. 415

Have you heard the newz?! … I am kind of a biiig deal. … some people knooow me. 416

… Here’s some future news: “A.J.K. beats T.B.I.!” … it’ll just be … the way. 417

I miss playing sports. From karate to wrestling To soccer to pool. 418

… Let’s get it correct. I mean swimming not billiards. But, I love angles. 419

… I was REEEEEAL good too. Not just participation. I am athletic. 420

Need new mental goals. Bio-enginerd no more. Thus, I write a lot! 421

I used to tease kids Who prefer the written word To number patterns. 422

… I’m a hypocrite. ‘Cuz now I write as often As I have the time. 423

Is it bad my mind Is so lightning quick?! … critics say That good work takes time. 424





AFTERWORD Well, the preceding tales were a conglomeration of my indiscriminate thoughts, … expressed poetically, … I stopped, ‘cuz I ran out of different poetic styles, ... Not ’cuz I ran out of ideas. I’ve really developed a better appreciation of [some] arts … post- accident. … way to semi-wake up, right neural hemisphere! I hafta cite “Family Friend Poems” for its explanations of the format for each type of poetry. Once I learned the construction, the ideas were all my doing.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR Since the age of ~114 months (~9.5 years), the author’s been a bit of a math prodigy. He taught himself how to multiply double digit numbers in his head. But, unfortunately, he can't write his memoirs quantitatively. So, just please bear with him, as he admirably tries to use these ... What do you call ‘em?! ... Words. Connect with AJ on social media. Twitter: TBIAuthor LinkedIn: TBIAuthor Instagram: TBIAuthor Or on the web at www.tbiauthor.com