Baltimore Museums
Forward by, M.E.

So who is Mike?

Michael W Kohlman is perhaps Baltimore's bad boy of poetry, or at least somewhere along the way everyone might agree, he's definitely controversial. Mike thinks of himself more as a poetic writer than a poet.  In short he feels he suffers enough and would prefer the, "Poet," moniker be placed on him by someone else after death.

His electronic portfolio exists on FanStory.com and consists of about 390 poems, a couple dozen short stories and essays, as well his biography. Since 2008, he is regularly published in Poems of the World, which is quarterly periodical with worldwide distribution.

He feels if it needs to be said, then it should. If it is bad, he uses the criteria of whether or not he can live with himself if he doesn't say it. Poetry has been wonderful to use in order to cut though the politics to get to an important thought that should be considered.

Lauding the good or presenting something in a new light is an extreme pleasure and provides the best sense of accomplishment. Ah, but the best laid plans of mice and men...

Writing can also create wacky and interesting adventures; poetry in the rock and roll world, meeting many interesting people that all heart, passion and spirit. Attributed love poems can bring to bear punishments handed out greater than actual crimes.

Mike's greatest goal was to be an explorer and find adventure, something though just about impossible in this modern and fully explored world, but it didn't stop him from being a mountain climber, and his goal of finding himself in the, "Unexplored" was actually not accomplished on the earth or above it, but in the earth.

That is how Mike began poetry, out of frustration and a way to communicate to people, what he truly got out of caving. Quite honestly, the stories of his actual adventure were simply convincing people he was crazy.

Mike started writing poetry after a divorce as he perceived it as indicated by high school English instruction; boring. He simply wanted that boring pursuit to help fill in the probation that makes up so much of life.

To his complete and utter astonishment, he once again became that explorer and the adventure offered from his poetic writing never seems to fail to come to him.

Writing can be just as challenging and exasperating as climbing a mountain. The rewards can create as much a feeling as looking out over the earthy land from the top of the world...

A wisp of feeling like God himself, yet knowing how small you actually are in the scheme of things; but also what you are capable of accomplishing.

From Mike:

I no longer see poetry as having anything to do with language, but an artistic and performance medium. Ideally suited to convey images, feelings, ideas and philosophies for other people to  interpret and consider. With a project such as, "Baltimore Museums," I love the journalistic sense I also must have.