I was born in the South Indian city of Hyderabad, India, on March 17, 1947, raised and educated in Pakistan. I am now residing in the United States of America as its proud and patriotic citizen. This versatile cultural heterogeneity has endowed me with the richness of inspiration that culminated in writing this book and all the poems. My pursuit to creativity has been ably supported and complimented by my beloved spouse of thirty-six years, Elizabeth (Betsy) Snyder, having tied the knot on December 16, 1972. As to my educational background, I have a master's degree in microbiology. My scientific background has naturally grafted in me a discipline of research and analysis of facts from fiction.

My first impression of seeing the photograph of Elias Ahmed on the back cover of "Absolute Intention" was that he is a handsome man with a penetrating stare, seeming to me to be trying to look "through the photograph" into the soul of the reader. This became more obvious and self evident throughout his writing. 

In Elias Ahmed's collection of poetry, each topic is honestly revealed as particular attention is paid to "setting the scene" in the reader's mind for what will follow. From his introductory comments about who he is, where he came from, and why he wrote this book, he continued on scores of topics from his experiences, his faith, his upbringing and cultural influences. His faith is irrevocable in Almighty God as he subscribes to the character traits of love and forgiveness, honesty, education and the pursuit of knowledge. He tells of how to use integrity and faith as a compass in life, and to appreciate each day as it is a "present" to be enjoyed and savored. 

Elias Ahmed categorizes his introductions and poems into innately fundamental human personality traits. The obvious ones such as love, lies, pride, friends and humility are then embellished with surprisingly novel topics such as Princess Diana, Mother Teresa, Princess Saima, and one I thought rather gospel in formation titled, Mama Said So. Reading these poems it was necessary to "slow down" and take the time to absorb the feeling behind the words. In a way Elias Ahmed is coy and artistic with his creative license and enjoys the time he spent writing the words knowing they would be read by a variety of individuals of whom he does not know. 

One lesson learned stems from Native American wisdom of a Cherokee teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person too."The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?" The old Cherokee simply replies, "The one you feed." 
Although the above excerpt expresses a wisdom not of Ahmed's origin, the concept of feeding the good in yourself, nurturing your faith and providing an optimistic outlook on life will result in having the fundamental respect for yourself and thus be conveyed to all you meet is in fact his own belief. 

This book is a personal portrait of the author and expresses wholesome and sustainable values. The cover art of a field of wildflowers which sets a tranquil frame of mind in the reader, along with the pink clouds and rainbow signifying a nurturing earth, as that is the "Absolute Intention" of the poetry of Elias Ahmed.