For years, The Bard of Sherman Avenue has provided short rhyme to please and uplift my print and online readers. Now, he’s in a battle with cancer that he appears to be winning. When news of his health issue reached my Huckleberries Online ( www.spokesman.com/blogs/hbo) readers Thursday, they reacted by penning their own rhymes and messages, in wishing him a return to health. Former Coeur d’Alene Councilman Mike Kennedy wrote: “As a partner with words,/Bard’s a very fleet dancer/We all hope and pray,/He beats that damn cancer.” And former Kootenai County Clerk Dan English offered: “I can’t count the times I have been uplifted, challenged, or had a smile break out because of his incredible ability to put so much into four lines of text.” At this point, the identity of The Bard remains a mystery. He was prepared to reveal his identity and take his first, long-overdue, public bow at Blogfest 2015, the annual celebration of the blogiversary of Huckleberries Online (set Saturday, Feb. 21, at Fort Ground Grill in Coeur d’Alene). That’s now in jeopardy. But I’ll leave you with a message from The Bard himself: “I would love to be there. And I HOPE to be there. And there is still a chance I’ll be there. But things may certainly not work out that way”/DFO, Sunday Huckleberries. More here.

Question: Have you ever written poetry?