Greetings! I began my writing career in 2015 following the death of my beloved mother. The lessons and world views she instilled during my life as I grew and developed maintain a strong thematic presence throughout much of what I write. Her emphasis on the importance of love, kindness, and concern for all is the primary influence behind my material focusing on occasionally uncomfortable topics like emotional vulnerability, abuse, and existentialism. It isn't all mopey, though - I do like to let the hair down and writing about the fun things in life. Like owning an adorable dog that has enormous, "I just saw a ghost" eyes, for instance. While I use this website predominantly for hosting poetry and/or thought pieces, my primary commercially-marketed project is a sci-fi/fantasy series of novels which I originally self-published. The first is titled Continuity and was published in 2016. A sequel, Continuity: Coalescence, was released two years later. I'm thankful to say both were recently picked up by a traditional publisher, Wild Ink Publishing that will be releasing one, consolidated version of both in December 2024. Announcements on this moving forward will also be posted here. As far as the rest, I'm an ex-Vanderbilt baseball player (c/o '09) with a degree in Economics & Corporate Strategy who is ironically trying to forging a career that has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with either of those things. Before my scribbles began, I was an insurance agent for the better part of a decade. Other than that, I enjoy simple living along with my aforementioned co-author, Pip the Pekingese! Thank you for visiting the website. I hope you enjoy your stay, and I look forward to connecting with any and all. No matter who you are or what you believe, you are warmly welcome! M.E. Shao
There lives a small famiwee, I call dem da Boyds They are so pwetty and so vewy cute I love to watch them frowick and pway Everwy day on my morning commute Dey live in a howse dats made out of straw Da parwents, dey must be da best All of da time da Boyds … More Da Boyds
Ripples, I see down below The waves are moving, soft and slow Like zephyrs, gently drifting through The water’s stillness calms and soothes I cast a rock into its deeps Watch it sink as this willow weeps I see the first bright evening star Across the lake, the trees afar The coast adorns a bright … More Ripples
The sand, the dirt, the grass, the trees The sticks, the stones, the light, the breeze The things this world has made for me Have warmed my heart and set me free I look at the stars as I rest on my knee They twinkle and spark, this light that I see I gaze at … More My Life
They’re carried each and every day, they never ever go away. I cannot seem to find a place where minds are clear and thoughts erased. They stay with me, they’re always there, it seems a saddened love affair. My heart is blackened when the air begins to flow with fervent prayer. The things I’ve done, … More Scars
91 At 91, Gladys sips bourbon from her grandmother’s floral teacup. It’s eleven in the morning. The teacup shakes slightly in her veined, big-knuckled hand. The saucer clinks several times as she sets it down. She’s given up reading the newspaper because her eyes are shot and she feels reading glasses are gauche. Instead of … More 91 (A Short Story by Josh Jones)
My superiors are hounding me. They claim to know more about these humans than I do. Obviously this is impossible. I have spent an entire career studying them. For years and years I have unearthed and uncovered recollections of this primitive species. No, those who oversee my operation are simply misinformed. They have no idea … More The Answer: 3
Thought. It is such a curious concept. It exists behind everything. Every single action, every single behavior, every single thing we do is motivated by thought, whether conscious or not. Breathing, for example. Do you think every time you take a breath? I think not. And yet you do it. I am having difficulty compartmentalizing … More The Answer: 2
I fear I’ll never know why they did the things that they did. Yet, counter-intuitively, this is the very question that lies at the bottom of every single shred of truth I find in my quest to understand these things called humans. Why? Why did they do what they did? This rudimentary, fundamental question has … More The Answer: 1
The world is torn, its seams are frayed They say they’ve wished them well and prayed So many hold opinions, strong But words are where they stop, its wrong For if the ones who claim to care Are genuine, then where’s their fare? What costs have they all taken on? Outside of tweets, or … More Torn
My dearest Lilliana, Not a day goes by without my thoughts eventually falling upon you. Those carefree, restless nights spent together I always think of as I sit here in the trenches, covered in the grit and dirt that this advance has cast over me. Every day we are inching forward, further and further as … More Letter to My Lost: 2
How the World Should Work 