​I was hooked at Haiku

It was 2nd Grade, Mr. Johnson's English class circa. 1982. We were instructed to to write a four-line poem about nature. However, there was a catch and rules to follow! The Japanese style poem, Haiku, specifically has 17 total syllables; 5,7,5. Rarely do these poems rhyme. But mine did as a default.

Forrest by Joni Morgan
​
Deep and dark fortress.
How you must long for water.
The drought must be stress.

There it is. My first poem. It had to rhyme. I mean what 2nd grader doesn't like to rhyme?

I loved poems in those early years. I had a blast rhyming for my teachers, family, and friends. I graduated into short stories. And, for the most part, fiction. When I was of age, I worked in a public library. There, I got a taste for science fiction. Fascinating! Worlds and universes were vast. Almost too much for my little fiction mind.

I crawled back into my non-fiction love. And, In high school, I was crushed to find out my favorite book, The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller, was entirely fictional. I recovered. Moving forward, I was more careful with my choices of non-fictional book choices. I invested time in them. Learning about life and what do other people do. I read books carefully. What have others done with their situations? How did they recover? What mistakes did they make? What triumphs? Books have become my personal toolbox navigating through this crazy life. 

Today, I am a grown woman, happily married with two children and a golden retriever. I write about my life. First, it was a simple journal. Then an online blog. It has evolved into a more than a 30,000 word manuscript on raising my daughter who lives with PCDH19 epilepsy. I love writing about my beautiful purpose of raising my daughter. It's therapeutic. It's an outlet. 

Whenever I meet new people, my absolute favorite question is what is your favorite book? I then open my smartphone to enter their answer. Maybe someday I will read from my long list of others favorite books.

​Until then I got work to do! If it was easy, then everyone would be published!

What is your favorite book? Leave a comment below. ​