I survived the Homegrown poetry event in Chadron, Nebraska!

It was fantastic!  It was amazing!  It was, dare I say, magical! 

Those are some of the statements I exclaimed to those who asked how the poetry event went.  It was a breath of fresh air to step into the creative atmosphere of Chadron Open Art.  The proprietors, poets and people I met there were warm and inviting.  Honestly, I felt a bit loud and artless among such thoughtful, artistic souls in such an artistic place. 

Thankfully, the 2 Daniels of Chadron Open Art and the other poets, Jewel Rodgers, Stephanie E. Glass and Robert McEwen accepted me for whichever me was present that evening.  I know I was feeling super excited and enthusiastic for the event, so I can only imagine how tactless and uncool I was being.  Dork be dorking, but that’s ok. 

Robert, John, Stephanie and Jewel!

I was a bundle of nerves as the event kicked off, but watching and listening to Jewel and Stephanie perform their moving, thought-provoking words helped me to relax.  When Jewel introduced me, I was ready, but more about that later.  After my moment, Bob transfixed the audience with his poetry and humor.  I felt a distinct impression the majority of the room knew Bob in one way or another.  I definitely won’t forget him now that I’ve met him.  The incredible evening wrapped up perfectly with a few volunteers from the crowd sharing their poetry.  One piece about loving yourself, by a poet named Bailey (spelling?), was beautiful and relatable. 

As for my moment in the spotlight, I feel I did well.  My sister claimed I did a great job.  A few friends from home and elsewhere expressed similar opinions after watching the YouTube video my sister shot and I uploaded that very night.  I’ll let you judge for yourself… 

I must give a shout-out to Jeanne and The Olde Main Street Inn!  This historic hotel, located in downtown Chadron, Nebraska is like stepping back in time.  Jeanne greeted my sister and I with a refresher drink and we all had a delightful chat for almost an hour.  Our room, The Cowboy Room, was wonderfully unique.  So much more atmosphere than a chain hotel.  The next morning, over our choice of caffeine, we chatted with Jeanne about this, that and everything.  She made us feel at home and we will definitely stay at The Olde Main Street Inn the next time we visit the city of Chadron! 

Another shout-out goes to Chadron Public Library at its temporary location!  My sister and I found its usual home, but it is being remodeled.  Thankfully, the rather groovy temporary location is not too far away from The Olde Main Street Inn and was easy to find.  I donated copies of Vision Bent, Dark Excursions and Sturgeons for possible inclusion into their collection.  It would be awesome to see my books at a second Nebraska library, but we shall see if they are accepted. 

Overall, the weekend of September 5 & 6 was fantastic, amazing and, yes, even magical.  I got up in front of a crowd and performed my poetry and the audience seemed to enjoy and maybe related to my words.  I feel a sense of pride for having done what I could’ve scarcely imagined a few years ago, but the sound of the applause still embarrasses me.  So, even if nothing else comes from this event, at least I can say, “I did it!” 

Freak Out, 
JLH 

P.S.  On the way home, we swung by Carhenge in Alliance, Nebraska.  Think Stonehenge made out of cars.  It was interesting and thankfully free. 

The poetry happening is happening soon!

Readings by Jewel Rodgers, Stephanie E. Glass, Robert McEwen and John L. Harmon

HOMEGROWN 

A Traveling Series 

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5th, 2026 @ 6PM 

Organized by Nebraska State Poet, Jewel Rodgers, Homegrown is a traveling community arts series where everyone is welcome to listen, connect, or share original work. Enjoy a popcorn-style community reading. 

Performances by Jewel and other notable poets, and an open share featuring poetry, stories, music, visual art, and more. 

Prefer to just listen? Come as you are. Snacks and light refreshments provided. Free and open to all.

MADE POSSIBLE BY THE ACADEMY OF AMERICAN POETS

CHADRON OPEN ART

223 MAIN STREET, CHADRON NE 69332 

~~~~~~~~

I’ll probably make a damn fool of myself, but if I can do karaoke in Broken Bow, Nebraska, I can read some poetry in Chadron! 

😎

Freak Out, 

JLH

The Sleepless Night of Imposter Syndrome

Who the hell do I think I am
A writer, so called 
Because I don’t know
What else to be 
An indie author 
Who hasn’t authored 
Something truly new 
In more years 
Than I’d care to count 
A blogger 
Chock full of nonsense 
Obscure film reviews 
Rarely a short story 
Between a smattering of poems   
A poet 
One collection 
Almost a decade old 
Dust covered half-blind words 
Shaken off 
Blown clean 
For fresh ears 
New eyes 
Different minds 
Deciding my fate 
Don’t say they’ll love me 
Stroking my ego 
So it won’t crack 
Splintering 
Shattering 
Into dark reflections 
Of self doubt and hate 
I need to refract 
Redirect 
Swirling thoughts 
Forming them 
Reshaping them 
With a spoonful of delusion 
A survival technique 
So I may step 
Center stage 
Metaphorical spotlight 
Temporarily 
Blinding and enhancing 
My remaining sight 

~~~~~~~~~~~~
2026, John L. Harmon 

______________
Woke up way too early and I couldn’t fall back asleep.  Wild and terrified thoughts running rampant, so I had to rein them in.

Freak Out, 
JLH 

P.S. I’m excited, and obviously, a bit nervous about the upcoming Homegrown Traveling Series poetry event, happening on September 5th in Chadron, Nebraska.  I’ll be reading a few selections from VISION BENT (half-blind poems)…

Projectile Words

I want to scream 
Verbally explode 
Ejecting my thoughts 
My feelings 
Into the atmosphere 
Fiery and furious  
Repressing nothing 
Then I pause 
Knowing futility 
I’ve pulled this trigger 
Too many times 
Always failing 
To hit the mark 
Rage falling 
Upon deaf ears 
Or they make excuses  
Making me feel stupid 
Feel crazy 
Feel like my voice 
Doesn’t matter 
This time I bite 
My tongue 
Almost in half 
Next time though 
I’ll set the world 
Ablaze 
Calling out 
Hypocrisy
Even if I do so 
In vain 

~~~~~~~~~~~~
2026, John L. Harmon 

Freak Out, 
JLH 

P.S.  poetry can be repetitive, so click the pic for a similarly themed one… ⤵️ 

~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Poetic Happening is happening soon! 

HOMEGROWN, a creative event at Chadron Open Art in Chadron, Nebraska on September 5, 2026

I'll just be hanging with the current Poet Laureate of Nebraska and other creative minds in September.

No biggie😅 

That’s how I’ve described the upcoming event in Chadron, Nebraska.  I guess I’m bragging, but also downplaying it, like it’s no big deal.  It is a big deal though.  This opportunity feels like my words are  finally gaining a bit of traction since releasing my first ebook in 2013. 

Hopefully I won’t screw it up, but I also hope the attention doesn’t go to my head.  Becoming an insufferable hoity-toity would not be very becoming. 

NOTE TO SELF
I must remember 
The sun shining 
In my direction 
At this moment 
In this place 
During this time 
Is fleeting 
As a smile 
As a breath 
As life 
~~~~~~~~~~~~
2026, John L. Harmon 

Perhaps I’ll see you at Chadron Open Art on Saturday, September 5th in Chadron, Nebraska.  It should be an amazing experience! 

Freak Out, 
JLH 

P.S.  My readings will primarily be focused on VISION BENT (half-blind poems), which means I’ll be talking about my chunk of vision loss. 

The Word Man (a poem)

Where is the word I seek  
In the sky 
In the breeze 
Lost at sea 
In the gutter 
Buried in grime 
Dirt upon dirt 
No reason 
No rhyme 
I ask The Word Man 
To find one for me 
He opens his coat 
Displaying his wares 
Letters upon letters 
Forming this and that 
Adjectives 
Nouns 
Verbs 
Of all shapes and sizes 
Even a ten cent word or two 
But which is for me 
I plead 
Desperately hungry 
For something 
Simply complex
Or complexly simple 
To describe me 
Define me 
Make me feel like me 
Make them understand 
The me they see 
And the me they don’t 
One word
Just one 
Is all I ask 
The Word Man smiles 
A bemused smile 
Offering up the letters 
Three in all 
Y-O-U 
And it’s the only word I can truly be 
~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
2026, John L. Harmon 

SIDE NOTE: Potentially apropos of nothing, I wrote these words after watching THE BRIDE! (2026), which I was unsure about at first, but ended up very much enjoying. 

Freak Out, 
JLH 
~~~~~~~~~~~~
My queer words are available from an Amazon near you! 
🏳️‍🌈
📚 

Bomb Shelter Boogie (a poem)

Burning like a neon sun 
Radiating like an atomic missile  
Duck and cover   
As I detonate 
Fulminating in verbal fire 
Billowing blazing words 
Scorching my world  
Venting the pent-up 
Fractured frustrations  
From biting a tongue 
Gnawing it pulpy raw   
Rivulets of crimson 
Pouring down my chin  
Drowning my body  
Until I can’t take it 
Insides ablaze 
Burning like a neon sun 

____________
2026, John L. Harmon 

Freak Out, 
JLH 

P.S. click a title for more radiating words…

Reconstruction 

In Sight 

Convalescent
~~~~~~~~~~~~
My blazing books… 

Buried Knowledge (a poem)

An inkling 
A feeling 
A knowing 
Of the end 
On their final day 
A day of last things 
Last meal 
Last word 
Last breath 
Did they know 
When they awoke 
That this would be it 
They would soon be gone 
Become a memory 
A whispered name 
From another’s voice  
The dead won’t answer 
My shrouded queries 
Holding their secrets 
Tight in folded arms 
Understanding 
The only way to know 
Is to wait 
Wait for my turn 
To gaze deeply   
Into the abyss 
Lifeless eyes 
Forthcoming nothing  
To those next in line 
~~~~~~~~~~~~
2026, John L. Harmon 

Freak Out, 
JLH 
~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
A reading list for 2026…
📚 

reason from reality (a poem)

Sometimes I find myself 
Stuck in place 
Unsure if I should continue 
Writing these words 
What difference do they make 
In a world gone mad 
How can my nonsense exist 
Alongside an overwhelming reality 
Full of psychopaths 
Repeating history 
Vilifying the press and detractors 
Getting rid of so-called undesirables 
Taking over other countries 
While I sit helpless 
Escaping into a world of my creation 
A lurid wonderland 
Where I’d rather live 
And maybe that’s the reason 
To keep going 
To keep writing 
Because someone out there 
May need a break from reality  
Need to escape with me 
Into my weird written world 
For a little while at least 
~~~~~~~~~~~~
2026, John L. Harmon 

Freak Out, 
JLH 

P.S.  related poems… 

Fear of Past Tomorrows 

On the eve…

Part III 

Goodbye, 2025!

I allowed negativity to overwhelm me this year.  Negativity from the world, from my country, from my town and from the voices in my head.  

My poetry and some of my reviews reflect this negative vibe slithering beneath my skin.  Even my most viewed post is a bad review of a new film.  In my defense, WEAPONS really isn’t very good.  

However, 2025 wasn’t all doom & gloom.  I released the DARK EXCURSIONS ebook series and STURGEONS (the complete serials) as audiobooks through Audible. 

There was also a new e-book, paperback and truly amusing audiobook release!  I wrote Whasome’s Dreck (a short parody) a long time ago.  After unearthing this gem, I felt the world needed my satirical take on Dawson’s Creek.  Not sure if the world agrees. 

I also managed to release a few videos for The FreakOptic Files.  They still make me laugh, which is my ultimate goal.

As for the coming year, I hope to write more.  There are poems to compose and crazy films to review, including a couple of recently found lost Andy Milligan titles, if Severin releases them in 2026. 

Thank you to anyone who has read or listened to my words in 2025.  I am forever grateful for your encouragement and support! 

Freak Out, 
JLH

P.S.  After releasing Whasome’s Dreck, I decided to give the John L. Harmon literary completists a gift by finally releasing Bubba’s Truck (a short story) as a paperback.   

The New Halloween

Give up the ghosts 
The goblins and ghouls 
Creatures that go 
Bump in the night 
Forget the vampires 
The zombies and werewolves 
Monsters that may 
Give you a fright
The scariest thing 
Of scary things 
Is waiting 
Outside your door  
The news is the new 
Horror Reality Show 
Just sit right down 
Tickets aren’t free 
All you need 
Is to be 
Deceived 
Confused 
Alive  
In the year 
Of our doom 
2025  

~~~~~~~~~~~~
2025, John L. Harmon 

Happy Halloween or something… 🎃 

Freak Out, 
JLH  

P.S. Escape the current reality with a good book! 📚 

FLIGHT RISK (a poem)

Here I stand 
In between 
An ending 
A beginning 
If the door closes 
Should I open a window 
Take a leap 
To see if I can soar 
Never mind the height 
Flying at speed  
Ground falling up
A million miles an hour 
Brace for impact 
By letting go 
Of what I cannot see 
What I can’t control 
Only then maybe 
I will find me 
Swirled in a second wind 
Leaving behind 
All that has been 
Embracing all I could be 

~~~~~~~~~~~~
2025, John L. Harmon  

I’ve been writing a little each day this month and FLIGHT RISK is one result of this endeavor. 

Freak Out, 
JLH 

P.S.  My 2019 collection of half-blind poems can be found as an audiobook from Audible…