In the summer of 1995, I began my journey as a writer. I spent the entire summer that year writing poetry and developing my craft. I often spent time in my room, and I prayed to God that when I grew up he would help me reach my dreams as a writer. I would read the dictionary to come up with “pretty words,” as I called them, to use in my poems.
When my mother was alive, she was my biggest fan. She loved to read my poems and she could tell when I was just “throwing something together,” as she used to say. When I first presented a poem for my 8th grade class graduation called “When Reaching A Dream, When Saying Goodbye,” she knew I would win. The principal of my elementary school announced it over the intercom. I was so happy. I could not believe it. I did not know exactly how I would recite my poem, but I wanted to recite it with authority and confidence and that is what I did.
My mother taught me to read and write. Before I was in school, I knew many things. But God would bless me with a special talent—writing poetry. My poetry reflects my Christian faith, love, and nature.
My mother motivated me to publish my poetry and I am glad she did. God’s word helps me to understand to be longsuffering and patient; this is what I did in my writing. There were years I did not write anything but I always came back to it, and there were years I never earned anything, but that did not stop me either. As long as someone read what I wrote, understood it and found it helpful, that is all that mattered to me.
My mother would always tell me, “Your time is coming.” Before she died, she told me I was a great daughter “who God would do good things for.” That is why I want my faith in God to be stronger, and each day I live I want to be closer to God and I want Him closer to me. My mother taught me that as I wrote those poems, she always heard my voice. She knew my voice and when I did or did not write my best. My mother will always mean the world to me, and God blessed me with a mother I will always honor.
On Feb.15, 2008, I published my first poem online. I published on the now obsolete website Associated Content and this started my journey of reaching many readers. In 2012, my poem “Naturally,” garnered 600,000 page views, and I knew then God blessed me to write poetry that would resonate and inspire others. Since 2023 I have written online as a volunteer education blogger on Ineducationonline.org, and I have also published Christian articles and poems on faithwriters.com.
When my mother taught me to read and write, she started the legacy that I want to leave with others in motion. A legacy that is my poetry and my articles, to show others the benefits when they express themselves by writing.
My motivation to write comes from my love for doing it. I love to read other writers and enjoy their experiences. Emily Dickinson was a major influence of mine because of her concise stanzas and the way she made being an introvert normal to me.
The best time I have is when I’m writing and reading poetry. I am not worried or stressed out about anything because I can sit down and enjoy the one thing that grew up inside me and that is a passion for poetry.
Self-expression through writing poems, songs, stories, plays or keeping a journal allows your mind to let go. Writing things down gives you the chance to tell the truth. It allows you to be honest with yourself and you can clear your spirit of whatever bothers you with the confession written on the page.
Writing has motivated me in so many ways. It has helped me figure out who I am and it has given me peace. Writing has helped me process negativity by switching my thought patterns. It has helped me escape to my own quiet place just by being creative. I love that poetry makes you feel so free. It gives you the tools to open up and let the things that you are afraid of come to the surface, and it teaches you how to deal with pain.
Writing poetry all my life allowed me to see my flaws too. It allowed me to forgive others. It gave me the chance to be happy. No one is perfect. I’m not perfect but writing poetry puts feelings into perspective.
Writing poetry allows you to learn how to cope with life. It enables you to be yourself. The more you practice, the better techniques you can use to correctly express what you want the reader to know in the poem.
The fact I knew my calling in life from an early age showed me that I could let my light shine and help others in my writing. I could make them think. I could help them forgive and not be afraid to love. I could help them appreciate nature and the world around them, just by decompressing the stress of everyday living. Reading or writing a poem showed me all these things over the years. The fact that poems are experiences that are captured in just a few words can leave a profound effect on the reader. For example, whenever I read Maya Angelou’s “Phenomenal Woman,” I was going through a tough time. The poem made me feel empowered and it showed me that I could be who I was and I did not have to be afraid of showing people who I was.
My mother told me to never stop writing. She gave me the confidence I needed to excel. I will always be grateful and thankful to her for that.
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