My name is Russ Pergram.  I am a retired heavy equipment operator.  I just write poetry.  I began writing when I was in my early 40's.  Here I would like to thank my 12th grade English literature teacher, Mrs. Plasterr.  She told me some day I would write.  I remember I laughed and said, "There's No Way!"  She smiled and said, "wait and see."  Fast forward 26 years...   I remember it like it was yesterday.  I was at work, and suddenly, a poem popped into my head.  And as crazy as it sounds, I began writing then and there as the machine was moving.  I'm 61 now and I've written practically every day since.  It began with Christian poetry, and eventually covered most every topic imaginable. I write simple poetry, poetry that I hope strikes a chord with simple everyday folks like myself.  The greatest joy I could get from any poem I write is that it strike a chord in another's heart.