Betty C Tomko

Seeking Utopia Betty C Tomko

While in the throes of a manic episode (he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in his twenties), John Jerome Tomko penned a letter to the woman he loved and later married. The return address on that envelope said "Percy Shelley, Cloud Lane." John wanted dearly to be a poet -- and, undoubtedly, he was.****From his younger years, to his days as a graduate student studying literature, to his middle and senior years, he wrote verse, as well as hauntingly beautiful letters. He even sketched and painted. He so yearned to be published, but, during his lifetime, he only saw one poem in print -- in a college magazine. His work, though, deserved to see the light of day. In this book, his beloved daughter presents many of her father's works for all the world to share. Indeed, dreams do come true."Four days later, our family said . . . Goodbye." Some hurts, they hurt us for a moment. Some hurts haunt us forever. It brought me joy and more than a bit of pain as I read and reflected on the words of a beloved father and husband as his devoted daughter immortalized him by sharing his words with the world. John's words take us from, "somewhere in the land of lost dreams," to "what a place to celebrate birth." I have often felt that the bipolar people of the world hurt harder and love deeper. John's words take us into the deep end of the reflection pool. Rest in peace, John Tomko, as we reflect in peace." -- Greg Wooley, father, friend, and fellow sufferer, author of Rise and Shine poetry