In poetry - Poe, Whitman, Frost, Thoreau... especially Thoreau; his random observations on life. Many non-published poets as well. I enjoy them all. I can't say that I emulate any of them, but they have all influenced the way I view and relate to life. Add to that the daily struggle to realize my dreams, and you get what I give. Add GOD in the mix, who in his infinite wisdom, gave me the drive to try and be creative. :) I have written for years...  no pride intended, but I can remember back to a dreary day in the 3rd grade when a teacher, tired of the incessant chatter of a classroom full of children, told us to stop what we were doing, look out the window, then describe what we saw in writing.  She was reading through our entries, and we were back to our chattering, when she called me to my desk with a tear in her eye and asked who helped me write "Lonely Winter Playground".  I just shrugged and said nobody, and went back to whatever kids do when they're trapped inside...  sure wish I still had a copy of that thing, or remembered the words.  I still remember the sentiment, to be sure, but recapturing it outside of the moment has been impossible ever since.   Even still, I've been writing ever since.  I used to have a HUGE collection, stored on disk, but somewhere here or there it was lost in a move, along with a large collection of written work as well.  The dismay over that discovery made me quit writing for quite some time, but it's in my nature, so I picked it up again.   My writes are...   spontaneous.  They are born in a moment, out of an emotion or feeling, and they help me clear my mind.  With that being said, they are often on the darker side of things, as I often write out of a sense of despondency, or heartache.  Hopefully that won't discourage you from reading, and commenting as you see fit.