Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would one day be so bold as to publish a collection of poems.  Over the span of my life, I was guilty of writing a poem now and then, usually sitting alone in some bar, pen in hand, scribbling away on a napkin.  Such poems were inspired by the moment and not given too much thought.  A couple were gems that I held on to; but, most were destined for the wastebasket.  A handful of poems were inspired by love, or a reasonable facsimile of love.  A few made it into Reborn and Other Versifications.

A few years ago, I ran into a wall.  Things seemed pretty bleak and hopeless.  In response, I would go for long walks, thinking, praying, talking to God while all of these emotions bubbled to the surface.  I began composing poems in my head.  It was like puss oozing from a wound, I told one acquaintance.  What resulted was a number of dark, angry, or hopeless poems that released much of the ill-will and worthlessness I had felt most of my life.  After some time, the poems began to take on a more positive, hopeful feeling.  They started to sound optimistic. Healing had begun.

I realized that I had accumulated a number of poems that I thought were not too bad, at least as good as some I’d read in magazines and books.  So, I attempted to have some published but always it was the same.  A nice letter saying my poems did not suit the publisher’s need or not aligned with the publication’s theme.  One publication even said that they really liked one of the poems but it did not suit their audience.

After mulling over my next move, I decided to publish the collection myself.  The poems, though, needed to be arranged in a fashion that told some sort of story or presented a theme.  When I looked through what I had written, it dawned on me that the collection could be arranged into three groups.  They are arranged in a fashion that demonstrates my personal growth and are collected works that illustrate the progression I think we all go through as we make sense of the world around us and our lives in it.

So, we begin with “Lost in the Darkness,” the poems that were expressions of me at some of my lowest points. These poems display the pain, fear, anger, hopelessness, and doubt I felt at various times. They were my cry to God from the darkness. These are followed by “Through the Twilight.” This section includes poems that were written during those times when I could sense the storm had passed and the clouds were lifting. They are more hopeful but still hesitant. Assurance and uncertainty intertwined in these to some extent, to paint an encouraged yet somber picture. Finally, “Emerge in the Light” contains those poems that were written when the storm had passed, and everything was new. Hope, battered and bruised, had seen me through another crisis.

Hope, battered and bruised, had seen me through another crisis.

A. E. Fonner