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i Poet.com and the homeless poets' cafe

proudly present bard:
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Dave Barry

Dave Barry !

featured works:
Soulless Nation
God-ku, and more

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Bio by the author...
Dave Barry was born on the last day of 1971 in the rural outback of Madison, Wisconsin. He endured a very Norman Rockwell kind of childhood, the utmost white-bread beat, but with a splash of the hippiedom rebelled with by his parents. Into high school he broke ever further away from his familial roots and delved into the morass of the 80's drug culture dropping out in 1990 with a GED from the Berkeley Adult School. For the next 5 to 7 years he was in the grip of the culture. A nomad who had homes but didn't stick around any of them for long. He traveled all over - never able or willing to keep one job or another for long, always partying with whoever he was with. He's always been a hard rock n' roller with a psychedelic twist, a gothic trickle with a boyish drift.

In 1996 he went crazy. Later the psychiatric community would call it a temporary bout of drug induced psychoses. At the time they called it Schizophrenia. He was in and out of mental hospitals and drug rehabs for almost 4 years. Living in a world of conspiracy and drama, hearing people communicating with him through TV and radio and print, expecting his family & friends to arrest him for mass murder at any moment (perceiving them of having been undercover FBI agents impersonating his family & friends). The few times he's been in jail of course added to that whole head trip. His only escape was to take to the hills. He was able to bring his delusions under control enough to accept his mother for who he wanted her to be, his mother. With that much acceptance he was able to be supported by her as he got himself together for a trek through the Sierra Mountains. For 3 months he hiked alone. 30 pounds on his back and surrounded by the wild with a Pacific Crest Trail guide to go by. He was visited twice by his mother and step father and once by his sister and brother-in-law as he made his way 200 miles from South Lake Tahoe to Mammoth Lakes. And what else was there to do out there but read and write? And so he did, though what he wrote has since been lost to experiences past. By the end of his journey he was spent and beaten by the wild. Tail between his legs he was ready to recede into the institutions of his government where he would accept their tenets and ideologies and reform.

Now he is sane again (as far as the psychiatric community is concerned) and has become a father. He has also become a modest and moderate political activist who fights injustices with words that he regularly sends to newspapers and government representatives. He is also preparing to embark on an entrepreneurial adventure to amass a modicum of wealth while helping this global community of polluters pollute less. And ultimately he continues to weave his experiences with others, seeks and teaches truth of the heart and the world. And he thanks you for crossing paths with him now.

Sincerely,

Dave Barry
Guerneville River Rat
and Poet

Update by the author Feb 2009: Dave has since become a father of two beautiful children, ages 6 (Josh) & 8 (Sabrina) as of 2009. He's separated from his wife, but they're still best friends. Dave has moved up to Humboldt County where he met up with God and has accepted His yoke in discipleship. He also works to house those who can't afford commercial rentals, and yes, he still writes poetry. You can find Dave at myspace.com/humboldtdave or on Facebook

Ed: Dave, thanks for keeping up with the rest of us poetry bums, and congratulations
on your work and life accomplishments. Keep coming back, it works!!

you can email Dave Barry at:
Dave@iPoet.com




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