Who am I?
Something happened sometime in 2014. A switch somewhere inside me was turned on. I felt as if I was compelled to write. Not only write, but write poetry. Now you have to realize that before this, I didn’t even read poetry. It never crossed my mind to pick up a book of poetry.
My experience with poetry was limited to what was required in school. I have always liked to read. When I was young, I read every children’s book I could get my hands on. Then later on my tastes moved on to Westerns, Sci-fi, whatever peaked my interest. Even as a teenager I had a feeling that I should be writing fiction stories. I even started one when I was in my late teens, but I quickly lost interest in it. But the feeling remained with me that I should write. I never really considered myself a religious person and still do not. As a matter of fact, I am probably very much anti-religion, or at least anti organized, controlling religion. I don’t see anything wrong with people believing and worshiping any way they choose, as long as it doesn’t try to control the way anyone else wishes to believe and worship. To me, that is what organized religion is. I’m right, you’re wrong and if you don’t believe the same as me, you’re going to burn in hell for all eternity. Or what’s even worse, I’m right and you’re wrong and if you don’t convert, God says I must exterminate you!
It seems I always knew there was a power greater than myself, but the idea of a single, omnipotent God that created the universe was more of a fairytale to me than an actual way to believe. I thought about it over the years, wondering just what was going on. What or who was God? Along about the same time in 2014 I was reading a couple short books that were recommended by a couple different friends. One was “As a Man Thinketh” by James Allen and the other was “Meditating in the Silence” by E.V. Ingraham when one night at work (I worked third shift) I had an epiphany. A sudden flash of inspiration or enlightenment. Now I’m not saying I am a totally enlightened person. Not by any stretch of the imagination. What I am saying is that from that moment on, I understood what is going on. I understood what/who God is, what my higher power is. I’m not here to preach to you or try to change your views in any way. I’m only telling you this so you can understand my journey, where I’m coming from and why I all the sudden felt I had to write. From that moment forward words just poured from me. I was compelled, I had no choice but to write them down. I never knew when or where they would come. At work, at home, driving down the road, the middle of the night. The words are coming and I had to write them down. So there I was at the time, nobody special, just a fifty-one year old, non-descript man, bleeding his soul onto the paper. I had no idea what to do with these soul bleeds.
I showed a few of them to my friends and family and received good reviews so I started a Facebook page to share them with the world. As the page began to gain a little following I started getting people asking when I was going to put together a book. A book?? I had no idea how to put together a book.
Hell, I failed 9th grade English twice, how was I going to write a book. Well.., I guessed I’d better get studying on it. So, with the help of some friends, Google and YouTube, here is my first offering to the world. A collection of my poems, thoughts and inspirations. I hope you enjoy them.
Sincerely,
R.J. Easton
