'Musings of a Marfan' is a must-have for any traditional poetry lover or novice reader. This hauntingly beautiful poetry collection explores themes of human resilience, mortality, nature, the sublime, personal longing for first love, and the melancholic misery in love's absence. Michael McCottry Bell Jr. was born in 1982 in Maywood, Illinois to Dr. Michael McCottry Sr. and Suzanne Bell. He was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome at three years old. Marfan syndrome is a life-threatening genetic disorder that affects the connective tissue throughout the body, including the heart, heart valves, and the aorta as well as the skeletal and ocular systems. A love for composing R&B and Hip-Hop led Michael to begin writing at eighteen years old. At thirty-one, he took interest in John Keat's 'Theory of Negative Capability,' Rumi's mystique and poetry, and Shakespeare's mastery using iambic pentameter. Michael's other interests and hobbies include collecting and trading sports cards, collecting different colognes, studying history, going out in nature, observing the stars and animals, traveling, and watching National Geographic. He currently resides in Naperville, Illinois.