Hello and Greatings

I will be 75 on June 26th and married for 50 years on August 27th. I have a Master's Degree in Labor Economics and BA's in Sociology and Psychology. I was Supervisor of Labor Market Information for six years and a Personnel Administrator for 25 years before I retired July 1, 2001. hen I turned 60, I had to retire as I could no longer be employed by the Washington Army National Guard (WAARNG). Just noticed that a soldier was killed in Afghanistan from Des Moines, WA while serving in the WAARNG. He was a staff Sergeant (SSG). My dad was killed on August 7th, 1956 in an accident aboard the Aircraft Carrier USS Intrepid CVA-11 Carrier Heavy Attack. I started writing poetry while my dad was out at sea when I was 14 just after he went on his six months cruise to the Mediterranean. I liked knights of the roundtable and Irish and Scottish folk literature. I have 20 composition books full of unpublished poetry. I joined Poetry Soup three years ago during December of 2012. All of my over 1850 poems I have posted at Poetry Soup have been over the last three years. I am also a member of Stories Told Around the World, Raven and LinkedIn. I wake up at between 0400 and 0500 in the morning and a poem is in my mind. I might even wake up in middle of night around 0200 and have a poem in my mind. I have to write it down first before I type it up. I am also a member of Poetry Revisited which meets the 2d Sunday of every month at 1500 hours. I am kind of at odds with the other poets and we have our differences. I am primarily a rhyming poet and do so in my Haiku which is king of against their rules. This is the first time I have ever said and written this up before. I have really lost interest in the group and have decided not to return. I would like to start a group of poets of my own. I can accept anyone's poetry and style but do not feel like I was being well-received. The Brunswick Beacon of Shallotte a local newspaper was printing up my poems monthly. The old editor left who I had created a great relationship with. The new one really doesn't have any interest in poetry. That is what I like so great about Poetry Soup. All of the poets in it are great. Am watching the Travel Channel right now at Bora Bora and Tahiti. Just had a show about Robert Burns and Scottish history. The Travel Channel is well worth its while. Another urge to write a poem is upon me. Better get with it. My goal is yo write a total of 2,000 poems by my anniversary and be number 11. If you have any idea of any local poetry groups, let me know. I ran out of space on my Poetry Soup message in response to another. Jim Horn