Why Bard's World?

Some of you may be wondering why my blog is entitled "Bard's World"... Well, since I was a teenager, I've enjoyed writing fiction, poetry and short stories. I was very prolific throughout my teenage years, writing enough poetry to fill a nice sized book and working on as many as 5 stories at once.

One such story involved a bard by the name of Renanse. This bard came to represent me in many ways and when I first entered the world of the Internet in 1994 on a MUD called EliteMud, I used the name for my avatar. It's been my online pseudonym ever since.

Here's a sample of one of my poems from that time (slightly cleaned up):

I Shall Return, I Promise
by Joshua E. Slack

When the sun comes up again,
When the sky is crimson flames,
I shall return to you, be back again,
The only one I care this much for.

When the morning litany of sounds
Out of your window call,
I shall be again with you,
Basking in radiant beauty.


Do not think of me as gone;
I am merely out of sight.
Look, and if you think of me,
You'll see me in your heart.

Though long time prevails,
I am hardly gone.
Back again soon I will come.
I shall return, I promise.