Why this Blog?

What do the movie titles “Alien vs. Predator,” “King Kong vs. Godzilla,” “Freddy vs. Jason,” “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” and “Joe vs. the Volcano” have in common? Well, obviously, the “vs” or short form of “versus.” As a lawyer, I encounter that word all the time. “Versus” denotes an adversarial encounter, two sides fighting over something, usually money or property, but it could be over anything. “Versus” is Latin for “against” and, oftentimes, the end result of such an encounter is not good. Other times, we overcome and grow from the experience.

“Versus to Verses” is dedicated to expressing struggles and experiences through poetry or some other style of writing. From early usage, the word “verse” describes struggles, difficulties overcome. Some of the greatest poems are about wars and battles. The Iliad for example, an epic poem written in the 8th century B.C. Of course, some of the most well known verses come from the Bible and battles described therein.

About twenty years ago, I began writing poems, many of them dealing with adversarial situations. How I struggle in my Christian walk is a common theme. I branched out to include other struggles, for example “In for Two, Out for Life” and “The Bully.” These poems describe very personal experiences, some of which I am sharing for the very first time.

“Versus to Verses” is where I seek to share my stories, thoughts and reflections. I hope to inspire others to write, to overcome by writing, not fighting.