Cliff, my best bud from work, writes a blog, and I urge you to read his latest entry before you continue here.

Go on. I’ll wait.

I’ll just sit here and hum for a few. Maybe look at some family photos…

So, Cliff and I always have a lot of fun when we go out, sharing stories, laughing so maniacally and so loud that people move away from us. Yeah, it’s that good. And Cliff forgot to add the punchline to his ferret story, that send me over the edge: “So it’s crawling right up my pants leg, and it bites me on the thigh! And if you don’t know ferrets, when they bite, they don’t tend to let go…”

If I’d had beer in my mouth, I would have spit it all over him.

And this is what else is really good: Cliff’s writing. His post to which I referred you was written spur-of-the-moment, as he was filled with energy from a few hours laughing and sharing good times. It comes across in every sentence: his joy of life, his wonder at being here and who he is. This is what makes a good writer: transferring his internal energy and soul onto the page or the monitor, that somehow evoke the same feelings in the reader that the writer is feeling.

Cliff’s a poet…and I think he knows it. A songwriter, guitarist, artist, digital art maestro…he’s getting better all the time, and he’s working on a semi-true novel based on his teenage life in a number of Richmond garage bands.

Keep the energy. Keep the words flowing. Maintain the joy.

Your words will see the light.