Poets of all eras and ages have sought their inspiration in the vagaries of life. The concept for Walter J Wojtanik's first full poetry collection plays on these varied aspects of everyday living. From the moment we come to capture life, it becomes this passion play that waits for us to find the purpose in our years. We come to love and find love in this life and learn how to live in love with it. Explorations are made through the soundtrack of our lives, lives that are harmonious and humorous, and often taken way too seriously. It is colored by the inclusion of family and friends. Life has a definite beginning and an ultimate end. Inspired by the concept of a "Dead Poet's Society", these works of poetry peek into the window of our collective souls to find the connection that binds us together, and makes living a true adventure. The classic "dead" poets seemed to have gained a cult status many years after their passing by merely "sucking the marrow out of life" and committing it to their pages. As the title of this collection conveys, Wojtanik considers himself a humble poet once removed from being a dead poet; he is standing one step from the grave without the dread and circumstance of his actual demise. Using loving tenderness, sarcastic wit, twisted humor and heart rending emotion, Walt draws upon his personal experiences as the fodder for these verses to take that next step, still standing on solid ground... a future "Dead Poet", currently once removed.
About the Author: WALTER J. WOJTANIK was born and raised in the steel city of Lackawanna, New York, a southern suburb of Buffalo. His strengths are drawn from his family, are grounded in his faith and supported by a group of loyal friends who have stood by him through the course of time. Both of his parents were creative in their own right, traits Walt had gladly "inherited". Walt found music as a bridge to his poetic explorations after developing an interest in composition. In adding words to his melodies, a poet was born. A debilitating shyness plagued him through his formative years, but an introduction to a Creative Writing class in High School shook his foundation and brought out his powers of observation and his sarcastic wit from which, thankfully he has never fully recovered. Walter has several self-published poetry chapbooks to his credit: WOOD - poems about his carpenter father and their home on Wood Street, YOLO - a poetic memoir, RHYME OF THE POET LAUREATE - a parody of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's work Rime of the Ancient Mariner.