My love for creative writing began in my school years, both in primary and high school. However, life soon took me in a different direction — first with conscription, and then the start of my working career.

After six years behind a desk, I was offered the opportunity to manage one of our company’s satellite warehouses. There were times when the day quietened down and I found a few spare moments in the office. It was during those moments that I rediscovered my enjoyment of writing. My very first piece was written for a family friend who had passed away. When it was read, the response was, “That’s beautiful — where did you find it?” That simple reaction encouraged me to keep going.

Over the following years, I continued to write whenever inspiration struck. I wouldn’t call myself prolific — the poems in this collection were written over the span of three decades — but each one carries a piece of life as I’ve observed and experienced it. Two of the poems were even read on a local radio station with an audience of around 600,000 listeners.

My inspiration has always come from life itself — from my own experiences, from those around me, and sometimes from imagining what it might feel like to live through moments far removed from my own, such as being in a world war.

After years of letting my poems sit in plastic folders, gathering dust, I finally decided it was time to bring them to life — to gather them into a book and share them with others.