I decided to start this off, not with a piece of my own, but with the first piece that had ever inspired me to write.
When I was younger, I loved to read, and I looked up to authors for being able to create worlds and lives that never existed before being put onto paper. But it was never something I thought I could do.
Then, one day, I had to find a poem for school, and my father pulled out something he had written. Reading it brought me out of my cave; if my father could write, then maybe I could too. I've had it memorized for almost 16 years.
So, here is a poem written by my father during his time in the military; it was untitled, but I simply call it "Fear."
Unknown is the fear,
That lies within.
That comes from down deep,
Under your skin.
You hide it from Smith, Garrett,
Williams, and Jones.
But know that it's there,
Buried deep in your bones.
Where does it come from?
And what does it eat?
It comes from uncertainty,
And feeds on defeat.
It lived forever
In the hearts of great men.
It waits for the moment,
And then it sets in.
-Thomas Allen
