A Winter in Darkness

By R.P.Dodge

A Winter in Darkness is about a long journey out of hell and into the cold of the abyss. The book continues to focus on topics such as child abuse, suicide, neglect, betrayal, and the war in Iraq. The book is about forgiveness, or the lack there of, and the long road to redemption. The book does call for those who read it to look deep into their souls and the darkness there within. Pieces such as "The Blackest Day" and "The Haunting of Alice Chambers" take you into some of the most evil of psychological adventures one ever wants to go.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 14, 2011
• ISBN: 9781452060019

R.P.Dodge

R.P.Dodge has been a writer of poetry for over twenty years. He has astounded colleagues and many others with his ability to put amazing images to paper in a manner no other poet in today's time can. He is a winner of the PAM award (Presidential Award of Merit) for his poem "The Captain." While not writing he is a teacher of American History, and is said to be one of the best teachers of the U.S. Constitution. He enjoys movies, reading, and living on Middle Bass Island.

Book preview

Table of Contents

December

A Winter in Darkness

Nightstalkers

Broken

The Man Who Wouldn’t Be King

Lonesome Forgiveness

Bane Station

The Wagons Come

Vacant Heart

Tyrants and Queens

By Candlelight

We Sold Our Souls

The Impolitic Bush

Wistful Angel

I Danced Alone

18 Steps

Ordinance of Secession

The Death of Stonewall Jackson

January

The Fallen

The Haunting of Alice Chambers

Cabernet in Connecticut

I Have Given Up

The Old Man

The Eremite

I Never Cried When

I Loved It

Magic Carpet

Down Memory Lane

Codeine

Green Eggs and Hamlet

12 Fluid Oz.

The McMillan Impulsion: Part II

February

The Incredible Johnny Monroe

How Do You Measure an Amount of Love?

It Only Takes One

Search for a Prophet

The David Transgressions

The Trouble I See

Stranger Than Fiction

The Blackest Day

The Day Dad Forgot

The Harper Moon

The Elephant Princess

Rosalia

The Bus

Enchanted

A Date in Detroit

Murder Inc.

An American Nightmare

Until The End World

Impuissant Grace

The Bullfrog

Nine Days in November

In the past few years, since the first book in this series was written, I’ve become aware of many things that have gone on in the world and within me. While I would like to say that I’ve seen some wonderful things and felt the world becoming a better place, I cannot. What I have seen in the course of writing this book were often very scary tales of things I often hope many never have to experience.

This second offering from me looks once again at critical controversial issues, not only personal and social, but political as well. Issues such as child abuse, neglect, and depression are still a central focus in this book, as well as varying forms of debauchery and venery. Pieces such as The Blackest Day, Rosalia, and The Old Man look at the heart of a child and how true the light of day can become dark, and from the darkness emerges a person that is truly only half the person they ever were, or ever will be.

This book addresses the war in Iraq and the idea that we as Americans were lied to in order to push a political agenda, no one in this country wanted. The Impolitic Bush and We Sold Our Souls are two that look at the issues of war, and also the utter loathing of those responsible for the actions of September 11th, and those that continue to come to our country and tell us how to be and what we need to change. While the issue of gang violence and lifestyle also seem to be constantly exposed to me, I felt compelled this time around to write about what I have seen and heard. Writing heavily influenced by the music of Eminem/D12 and a community of drug dealing, episodic rapists, with truly the darkest of hearts I have ever come across. These events helped to fuel pieces such as A Date in Detroit and Murder Incorporated.

Mental illness continues to be a strong issue for me and one I study diligently. There are several pieces that address this particular issue. The Haunting of Alice Chambers follows a lone girl through a period of time spent in a mental institution, for schizophrenia, to the second offering in psychosis found in The McMillin Impulsion: Part II and The David Transgressions.

This book does, like An Autumn in Hell, have a level of humor and hope. Pieces such as The Elephant Princess and The Incredible Johnny Monroe show a definite lighter side of life and are funny though thought provoking in the messages sent. Animals and children are fun to write about, and make for pleasant ways to introduce some topics with tact. You may find this to be fascinating, but for all the darker side of life I have seen, seeing strands of light shining through the dark, every now and then, allows me to restore some faith in God, government, and people. However, infrequent that may occur.

I have taken the time to once again include a few historical poems throughout Winter. Topics such as the fall of Saigon and the last American departures in 18 Steps, to the Civil War’s Ordinance of Secession and The Death of Stonewall Jackson. Also included, the poem The Bus chronicles the bus boycott and Rosa Parks’ spark igniting the American Civil Rights movement of the Sixties.

I am proud to showcase a very young author: Albert M. Rodriguez. His writing was noticed by myself and others a number of years ago. His contributions to this book were well valued and duly noted. I was very impressed with the titles The Wagons Come, It Only Takes One, and 12 Oz. His ability to use reality