Born to Write

Growing up in the southern suburbs,
I was programmed to believe that reading and writing weren't cool...therefore neither was I.
Despite that, I tried to flip through pages and make sense of the rows of funny-shaped ants sprinting across the page.

It was hard.
Not just the comprehension,
but the shame as well.

Growing up in a shattered family portrait,
I spent more time reading the lines that were stamped between my parents' brows than I did reading anything else.

It was hard.
Not just the tension,
but the pain as well.

I was 5 years old when I read my first book by myself.
I was 15 when I wrote my first honest poem.
I am almost 25 now and have several completed manuscripts confined inside my computer.

A lot happened during those years that makes it difficult for me to study and sharpen my craft today.

I am swallowing a childhood of unabsorbed words in just a couple of years.
I am becoming the teacher that I wish I had when I was younger.

It's my beating heart and glistening sweat that get me through each day's worth of practice.
I was born to write and I hope that I am able to stick around long enough to help make it easier for another budding author.