Robert Lee Shinkle

The Ides of May Robert Lee Shinkle

May 15th, a date the author will never forget, is the birthday of his abuser and the day in 2018 when he was manipulated into getting back into the relationship. In October of 2017, the author met his abuser as a casual friendship. They were exclusive in January of 2018, but were dating before this time. Although it ended in June 2018, the damage inflicted lasted for nearly three years. The Ides of May is the infamous name given to this period of time; the most traumatic and life changing events which inflicted a seemingly insurmountable amount of pain, grief an anxiety to the author. These events include the loss of his aunt, the verbal and psychological abuse from his abuser, as well as troubles which surfaced from struggling to cope with these emotions. Poetry is a common pass-time of the author, and in the era of Bios Kalos, the name of his first book of poetry, the style and meaning of his poetry was less personal, and was more devoted to the art-form as well as political activism. However, in this era of The Ides of May, we see a more sinister, dark, and painful expression of his art; we get to try to understand what it was he was going through as he struggled to cope with death, abuse and the inexplicable consequences of dealing with it all.