Palisades Kepler State Park by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

Untitled by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

Commie Love by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

Pattern by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

Untitled Abstract by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

Untitled by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

Sand Bar at Palisades Kepler State Park by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

Palisades Kepler is situated on the Cedar River. I have never paddled this river, it is one of the states largest rivers next to the DesMoines. Hasn't had to many low periods since I moved here, often floods the community of Cedar Rapids.  

Poetry from the book {The Lion and the Sun} by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

            Fascism hiding behind patriotism

      Red, white, and blue all there to fool you

             United Corporations of America

   In money we trust, in God we serve the devil better

The angels of Wall Street, to big to fail, to big to care

Trump makes America great again by giving billionaires jobs (cabinet Positions)

Cabinet picks that are crooks, cronies, unqualified for the position, or incompetent like Rick Perry (in charge of Nukes) and Betty DeVos.

Lake Macbride State Park by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

This is a lake near Solon, Iowa that I kayak on quite often.

Trout by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

Short Story {Who Colored the Water Red} from the book Prometheus by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

In the morning the boat lay beached and broken in the sand. The people lay scattered and stranded in a series of undress. The vultures circled in high hopes of having a meal. The unexpected accident that came in the night was a horror of words and screams.

Captain Yolof Peanutbrittle was a awake and sitting in his month old shit stained underwear building a sandcastle with a moat. The man mumbled in childish glee. The Professor walked around naked with a boner and smelled flowers. Soon everybody was awakened by the Professors extraordinary sexual means.

The group gathered around the Captain and basically wanted to know what the hell had happened last night. Captain Yolof stood up in his underwear and told them he didn't have the slightest idea. A hard slap came on his shoulder and head and soon he was forced to eat his sandcastle. He had sand forced into every orifice.

Poetry from the book {Promethus Lives} by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

                           Poem and short story from {Who Colored the Water Red} Prometheus

                   An old familiar music plays

                    There were two old sailors

            There were two good looking broads

There was the Professor who shaved his gentitals and wore womens bras

There were was an old rich couple that nobody liked

                   And there was the dead dog.

There was a big cruiser that rolled down the Mississippi River. When all you do is sit on your hands river cruising can be the most boring thing of all. A storm was brewing and the Captain gave orders to weigh anchor at Island 58. 

Little did Shithead the young slim sailor boy know, that the anchor was tied to his feet. He threw and yelped and went deep into the water. 

Poetry from the book {Promethius Lives} by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

                   When you come to the end
                   And all you see is the light
                   And colors of every shade
          You know every spectrum of the wheel
               You know why they were made.

Black Bird Pattern by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

The Two Hearted River by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan has the most biting insects that I have ever felt. When the wind dies and it turns dark and your the only meal for miles you get in the car and pick up some wind speed. 

W.C. Fields by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

W. C. Fields is a set drawing for a watercolor that was given to my coworker Don Paul in Idaho. They used to play old movies on NBC in the 70s and 80s. W.C. Fields, Mae West, Laurel and Hardy  ,the Marx Brothers were some of my favorites.

Grand Portal by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

Poetry from the book {The Lion and the Sun} by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

         Sleepy time, sleepy time, bedtime too

When the lights turn off the bat does his air show, swooping to and fro

    The bat does a tap dance on the butter dish

Like a leaf the bat lands on my bed, he rustles up to my head, and sticks his tounge in my ear, and cuddles up to my cheek

The rat bumps open my door, takes the bat by the wings and gulps him down

The rat moves to my feet, raps his tail around my toes, and cuddles

An alley cat pops out of the old stove pipe, and eats the rat

He cuddles and purrs and rips out my chest hair

A girl comes in my room, rips the cat off my chest and eats the cat

She gets in my bed and cuddles, purrs, and spoons

A tiger comes eats the girl and cuddles and purrs

A great horned owl that lives in my chimney arrives and pecks the tiger to death

The owl cuddles and says," Who! Who! Who!"

Picture Rocks National Lakeshore by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

Untitled by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

Negative Blocking Chicago by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

Negative Sandwich Father by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

Man Eating by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

Untitled by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

Humanoid by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

Garden Pattern by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

Lake Macbride by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

Poetry from the book {Bunny Hop} by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

                                 Waiting for
                     A smile that lasts forever
                                 Waiting for
                             The lion of time
                                 Waiting for
                The last tear to fall from the sky
                            The waiting game.

Poetry from the book {Bunny Hop} by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

Poetry from the book {The Lion and the Sun} by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

        It was cold and I had no home to go too

         A lion stood over my body and roared

           A warm ocean came upon my skin

My skin was a vessel like no other, riddled with bullets and pavement

The nurse scrubbed my wounds roughly with a green brilo pad

I heard the birds first and then a wave of water rushed over my body

The gulls had taken my eyes and they seemed to laugh

My hands dug deep into the wet sand and my mind told me I was alive

As everything and everyone I know is dying around me, I turn to stone

We put on our game face and act out for other bags of water

Some broad looked at me like I was real but I was fake

Most people are better actors than me 

I am a warrior of many pasts, all manner of instruments feel good in my hands like hatchet, bow, and rifle

Instinct is the password into the proto apes howls and screams

Life is a book of merry-go-round dreams

The fate of each human being played out to it's mark

My mind was being wasted, though isn't everybodies

Some people are mad at me for not being a conformist, for not being dead inside, for not being a true believer in the system

The sun smiles down upon me and warms my skin

Honey bees land on the flowers around me

I delight in the buzz and they haven't stung me yet

The bur oak yawns and eyes sprout from it's knots 

My arms turn into a fungus of ethereal light

I was on a mad train ride full of fever and the dull terror of boredom and utter loneliness

A lone man trudges through the snow in a million  acres of white.

Poetry from the book {The Lion and the Sun} by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

Lake Itasca State Park by Artist Troy Richard Thomas

I drove up to the lake in 1989 with my Mom in a little red S-10 pickup truck. The week before the lake had been iced over. The ranger told my Mother that a kayaker had died on the lake three days ago. This news made my Mother very upset, since I had 2,500 miles to go. My Mother offered me a plane ticket to Hawaii if I skipped this river adventure. I paddled a hundred yards on the lake and portaged. My first campsite on the Mississippi river was literally carpeted with billions of ticks.

If you are kayaker it's nice to have a Mom that will drop you off and pick you up at the other end.