I PICKED MY PEN AND STARTED WRITING

i laid aside my swords and i sold my guns
i purchased a choir robe
i donned mantles of shepherds
peace now my motto, peace now my song

i picked up a pen and started writing
i wrote poems, prose and memoirs
then i laid the pen down
something wasn’t quite right
i picked up my glasses
and i began to read

i read books, i read journals
i read magazines, i read ezines
i read online, i read offline
my appetite was voracious
i read before dawn, i read after midnight
and then i journeyed

i journeyed on trains, ships and planes
i crossed state lines, i traversed provinces
i island hopped, i jumped
from continent to continent
finally after many years, after many days
after many hours, after many moments
i closed the covers of my books, my journals, my zines
and laid them down

and i picked up my pen and i began to write again