In the early months of 2008, I discovered a lump growing on my sternum near the rib cage.  I went to a surgeon; an ultrasound was performed and it clearly displayed a tumor.  The doctor said that the results from other tests were confusing.  My internet research showed that this type of tumor did not offer much hope.   In 2001, I had quadruple bypass surgery.  My surgeon thought it was wise for us to seek a second opinion from a Cardiothoracic Surgeon before surgery.  It was the Cardiothoracic Surgeon’s opinion that the tumor was harmless and likely caused by a stainless steel surgical wire used to secure the sternum after the bypass surgery.    This turmoil, pain and fear led to the writing of Wandering Wounds.  Once the pen met the paper, it was relentless.  I embarked on a journey through the emotions of the pain that I had experienced as well as the sorrows that I have seen others suffer.    Many of my poems insisted on an allegory and / or metaphor presentation.  Whether allegory and / or metaphor or straightforward the pieces tell a story of love, pain, great sorrow and hope.  Life may not always be as we had hoped, planned, or dreamed, but it is our time and often what we endure can shed light for others.  Wandering Wounds is a light shining through pain.   I am a Writing.com Author and considered a dark poet by peers.  I have been mentored and influenced by Stacy L Stiles, Susan Joyner-Stumpf and Lena Kovadlo.  

I have been published in anthologies and feathered in poetry books of other poets. I have received several Editor's Choice Awards and have won over fifty poetry contest.