I dedicate this English-French edition to my 11-year-old self. As a survivor of ritualized mental cruelty and sexual abuse, I have always found solace in the rhythm of my words. In this book of poems, Resilience, I weave dark tales of resilience, a testament to the human spirit's ability to overcome even the most daunting challenges.
From the whispered prayers of a child to the triumphant screams of an adult, these poems explore the strength that lies within each of us. I bear witness to the resilience of the mind, body, and spirit, as they face life's inevitable setbacks and emerge stronger than ever.

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Resilience: A Series of Baudelairean-Inspired Poems by Darryl Houston Smith. This book contains thirteen different poems, as well as an excerpt from my forthcoming book about Jim Morrison and the Doors.

Table of Contents (ToC) of Darryl Houston Smith's Resilience

A Titan Exposed

Hope, Spleen

Love's Cadaver

The Abyss

The Abyss Gapes

The Abyss Gazes In

The Abyss Within

The City's Stench

The Corrosive Bloom

The Hourglass

The Lonely Heart

The Serpent of Gold

The Spleen of the Oppressed

Trapped in the Labyrinth: A Look Back at Jim Morrison and The Doors

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Who is Darryl Houston Smith?

In today’s often fragmented social media landscape, authors must establish their online identities. In my case, my primary literary identity is built through my official website, darrylhoustonsmith.com, which presents me as a writer and poet. This domain serves as the central hub for my creative work, primarily promoting a new collection of poems titled "Resilience: A Series of Baudelairean-Inspired Poems" by Darryl Houston Smith.

However, this literary persona exists alongside at least two other identities:

The Former Professional Sports Writer: I maintain a profile as a professional sportswriter. This profile is specific and technical, highlighting my membership in the Professional Hockey Writers Association, a 2011-12 CBSSports.com Experts Fantasy Hockey League title, and my work published at the now-defunct ProHockeyWeekly.com.

The Public Personality and Commentator: My profile on Quora shows a third side of my identity. Here, I describe myself as a “Former Professional Sports Writer” and notably as a “Distant cousin of the late Lady Diana Spencer.” The activity on this platform, which has attracted over 15,000 content views, involves answering questions related to the British Royal Family and military history.

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 The Abyss Within by Darryl Houston Smith (Published in Resilience Book 1)

A mirror held a face I scarcely knew, A stranger's gaze reflecting back at me.

The depths I plumbed, a chilling, icy hue, Where shadows lurk and secrets silently Unfold, a serpent coiled within my breast, A yearning born of darkness and despair, A soul adrift, a spirit sorely distressed,

A phantom ship upon a sea of care.

The world, a mask, a gilded, hollow show, Where laughter rings, but sorrow lies concealed.

I search for truth but find only the flow

Of fleeting moments, passions unrevealed.

The abyss within, a chasm vast and deep, Where I descend, my sanity to keep.

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The Velvet Poison by Darryl Houston Smith (Excerpt from Resilience Book 2)

A velvet poison that lifts gloom. Not the cold remedy of the scalpel or pill, which numbs the nerve and subjugates the will, but a dark balm, a subtle green perfume that breaks the bars of our living tomb.

It arrives as a vapor, languid and deep, where senses mingle and are set free. The eye now hears the colors singing, the ear inhales the scent of shadows. The cramped, foul room, stained with soot and dread, transforms into a palace, richly carpeted. This is the hashish of the soul’s disease, offering the captive mind a brief, sweet relief.

Let priests and doctors call it sin or blight; this flower blooms in artificial light. It is a key to the ideal we seek, a fleeting heaven stolen from the grave, a remedy for the deepest pain. The horror of a life that stands too still.