My poetry is my story. I’m in a good place now. I wasn’t. My poems recall those dark times when I was trapped in addiction, unhappy relationships, and jobs that pushed me to the brink of collapse. It is a collection of recollections. It is an unadulterated, soul-bearing, exposé of the episodes and experiences that dominated and characterised my past. My poems are written from the perspective of distance, from where I have journeyed out of the darkness and back into the light, from a place where I am able to view the events of my life much more clearly and objectively, from a place of acceptance and peace. I find it funny now that one of the reasons I convinced myself I used substances was to tap into the flow of creativity inside, yet during that period I seldom drew or wrote: creative expression was for the most part, and for many, many years completely absent from my life. It is only since going into recovery that I have re-found my passion for art, and more recently embarked upon writing poetry to bring out into the open and share with others the experiences that I have been through and that have shaped my life. Through the work I do helping and supporting others who have been through or are going through their own difficulties, who are seeking positive change and looking to turn their lives around, I know that my experiences are not mine alone. The themes and subjects I write about in my poems are common, shared human experiences, they express universal truths.

I offer myself up to you in the hope that my experiences will help you to talk honestly and openly about what troubles and pains you. I give voice to the emotions I didn’t want to feel, that I pushed down and tried to escape for so long through the use of alcohol and drugs. I write about stress, anxiety and depression, about burn out, heartbreak and dysfunctional relationships, and about being in recovery and supporting others through hard times. My hope is that my poetry will help those who are dissatisfied or unhappy in some way with their lives, be it in their work, in their relationships or both, those who are stressed and depressed, those who use alcohol and take drugs as means to get away from it all and to relax, those who are struggling with addiction, with recovery from addiction, and with mental health issues, those who are suffering and in pain, to realise that they are not alone. To offer a light in the dark, to provide some comfort, some solace, some relief. It is also my hope that those who have not had first hand experience of addiction or who have not had difficulties with their mental health, but may have family members, friends or colleagues who have, are able to gain some insight into what being in it and going through it is like, to encourage and foster a greater sense of understanding and awareness. To shine a light on these subject areas. It is my ultimate wish that my words will strike a chord, that they will resonate with you, that they will touch you deep in the heart, that they will move you and change you. We all have wounds, we all know heartache, grief and loss. I share my life, my experiences, my emotions, my words and my art with you, in the hope that they will help your own healing process to begin.

I have lived a colourful life.

A full colour, multicolour, technicolour dreamcoat of a life,

Mixed with shades of grey

And extremes of black and white.