John Coates' Profile

I am an avid reader across many disciplines. Also a homespun philosopher with a deep interest in human behavior, a fan of history and its enduring cycles through time and place, violinist, weightlifter, stock market investor, business owner, budding novelist and consultant. Writing poetry is a near mystical endeavor. It is used to capture and translate the unspeakable into an understandable medium of communication. Equal to music, it has demands and rewards. To fully enter its folds requires discipline, a inexhaustible curiosity about everything and a deep urge to create. It bestows an ability to read between the lines of life, to see subtle hues of meaning and possibilities of sights, sounds, actions and events. It develops an inner ear in the spirit and teaches tolerance for incomprehensibility. I like to write poetry as subtle or dramatic moods dictate. I experiment with different forms, techniques and themes. And, always, I seek fellow poets to share ideas to promote mutual growth and wisdom.