All I ever did well was write. Poetry allows me to shrug off the constraints of journalism and explore the boundaries of the written word. My bio is in my poems. Each one is a piece of me. I was born in Charleston , S.C. and raised on Long Island, N.Y., the oldest of seven children in a poor family of alcohol and abandoned dreams. I started running away from home early and finally left for good as a sailor in 1966.  After roaming and trying on different roles, I adopted the guise of a reporter and have been working with words ever since, learning to live with a thick skin and a thin wallet. Finally found my muse some 20 years ago and moved halfway around the world to our special paradise, Okinawa, Japan. I retired in 2010 and now live in Central Indiana.  Among my major poetry influences are Allen Ginsberg, Kenneth Patchen, ee cummings, Charles Bukowski and David Axelrod, my college English prof and the man who, some 32 years later published my first book pf poetry, "The Story So Far" (Writers Ink Pess.)  My second book of poetry, "(more)" was published in 2015. Both books are available on Amazon or by contacting me at david@davidallen.nu. 

Don't matter.