ORDINARY MADNESS

by

MATTHEW ARDEN BYARS

Under the Direction of Dr. Beth Gylys

ABSTRACT

The following document is a brief introduction to- and selection of the poetry I have written in the years directly preceding, during, and directly after my tenure as a student in the doctoral program in creative writing at Georgia State University. The poems contained herein represent the scope of my artistic development in the field of poetry, and are a culmination of my study in the doctoral creative writing program. What growth and/or maturity they display is subjective and is, thus, for the reader to determine. It is my earnest wish that there is pleasurable enjoyment to be found in the poems included in this dissertation.

INDEX WORDS: Poetry, Creative writing, Literature, Love, Madness, Life, Death, Experience