Being that these are artistic expressions there is a possibility that one may find material here to be objectionable. With my recent reawakening to Christianity I have become more acutely aware of that fact, and have worked to find a balance, a standard that people can easily understand. As such, I have gone through all previous works and added an [E] for "Explicit" next to each poem's title which falls into that category.
(Note: This will only apply to works written before June, 2016; any works written after that will be free of any need for an [E] label.)
While there is no way to nail down every potentially offensive work (being that 'offensive' is subjective), I have done what I could to minimize the damage, within a specific framework. Here were my standards...
Profanity: There are words which are obviously profane in nature, but there are the 'grey area' words as well. Some are offended by the word 'd--ned' while for others it barely registers on the profanity meter. So what gauge should I use?
I kept it simple; any poem which has a word which could NOT be used on network television in 1985 was marked with an [E]. That means several poems which only have one 's--t' in them are marked, along with others which are replete with vulgar language. Good rule of thumb: If it is marked with an [E] and it is in the "Anger" category, you're going to be served several profanities. Other categories? Probably one or two words, though there are no guarantees of this.
Then there is the aforementioned word 'd--ned' which a few poems have in them; I have not marked those with an [E], due to the 1985 standards (if you find that word offensive I would not recommend reading anything except those written post-June 2016 and those marked "Christian" - those works are coming in the next few months). Works with F-bombs are included with an [E] of course, and any use of g--d--n are flagged as well. I did the best I could to make these warnings as friendly as possible for all readers.
Erotic: These are pretty obvious. While not ALL of the erotic works fall into the [E] category, most certainly do, based on their subject matters alone. [An interesting tidbit: I have never used profanity in my erotic works, which other erotic poets find quite baffling; go figure.]
As the late Prince struggled with his previously-written erotic songs after his conversion to being a Jehovah's Witness, I too have wrestled with what to do with mine as a recent Pentecostal. I have, for now at least, decided to leave them here, so that people will know from where I came, how far gone I was. If I can be called back to God, pretty much anyone can.
Violence: Most of my 'murder' poems are not excessively violent in nature, but the few that are receive the [E] (they would have anyhow, due to profanity]. One of those, "Now Finally Today" is listed not due to graphic violence, nor even profanity, but strictly on the disturbing subject matter (suicide), and how said-subject matter is portrayed.
Those are the standards. Let me remind you of what this site represents: generally speaking these are not happy-go-lucky poems, and even my future Christian poems will have an edge to them... it's just how I write. Many of those written before June, 2016 are dark, and thus may have subject matter you find offensive.
I've done the best I can, in the event of my reawakening, to make the site as Christian-friendly as possible within the context of those works. Remember, however - before said-event I was not in a very Christian place, thus you will see the darkest matters explored.
- Stone
June 6, 2016
P.S. I went through and checked each published poem, but it is conceivable I missed one or two. Therefore if you find a poem you believe should be flagged please let me know via email, stonebryson@yahoo.com, and I will include an [E] with it if warranted.
Known in many (albeit small) online circles over the past 15 years, Stone Bryson is a poet, storyteller, and essayist. He is working on various writing projects, and lives what he describes as an 'analog life.' He resides in Jackson County, Missouri.