ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...........................................................................viii INTRODUCTION

The Empowerment Group ............................................................................104 Déjà vu.................................................................................................................108 Ice Formations..................................................................................................114 Scotland The Gael............................................................................................118 The Lighthouse Revealed..............................................................................120 Eternal Portrait .................................................................................................122 Tom, Oh Yez!....................................................................................................124 Reunion...............................................................................................................126 My Grandson David ........................................................................................128 Encouragement in Faith................................................................................130 You Can’t Make This Up...............................................................................132 My Sister, In Her Memory ............................................................................136 Believe In The Good of Everything............................................................138

INTRODUCTION

This book speaks to my lifelong love affair with writing, which began as a young 9-year-old girl in England. I would script plays, gather friends to act in them, utilise discarded outfits to create costumes for my actors! From there I would go door to door selling tickets for the upcoming Sunday Matinee to be held in the garage of my home where I converted disused packing crates into a small stage. Not long afterwards I began writing poetry without realising that that was what I was doing! An English teacher discovered my poetry when I was 12 years of age and encouraged me to keep writing. At the age of 15 all writing fell into dormancy as my parents’ marriage broke up under grave duress. I lived with my mother until I married in my early twenties. Interestingly I began working at that time, for a professor in a Birmingham England UK University writing for him and editing his thesis until I became pregnant with my first child and decided to become a stay-at-home mother. To my detriment, giving up my career was one of my biggest mistakes! Giving it up for my child was not! After escaping decades of domestic violence, I found myself in a Women’s Shelter where I was deeply inspired by 11 other women survivors for whom I wrote a poem, “The Empowerment Group” also within this book. It was published in an Anthology “The Departing Day” by the Poetry Institute of Canada. This ignited and re-kindled my love of poetry and writing as it all began to spill from my mind without prejudice or direction. Each poem already having been carved into the chambers of my mind over a lifetime of experience, awaited the moment in time when the portal would open wide, and the torrents of content would flood my life. Some of the contents perhaps crescendo in similar form to that of a Prima Ballerina,

or the Maureen O’Hara of acting, or even the Champion Ultra Marathon Runner. They would become the shining diamond glimpses of my story as it had evolved over time. The Catalyst of change, the observations of transformation embodied in the words of the poetry contained herein. I became heavily involved with local poetry and out of town groups and poet laureates. I wrote, I read, and I performed each time with great passion and love for my rekindled and awakened gift. My love of photography also developed wings and took flight, already a published photographer I discovered some of my greatest inspirational writing occurring in natural settings that I had just photographed. It all just flowed effortlessly in my mind that Catalyst needed a companion within its pages, and so the reader can also enjoy my photographs that complement each poem. Note the poem where the photograph is that of a small boat sketch of mine. It fitted perfectly! After seven and a half years of volunteer work teaching communication and leadership skills, I earned the highly, Prestigious Distinguished Toastmasters Award. Amongst the many projects involved in teaching others I had to maintain and elevate my own pathways of learning and growth, accomplishing over 300 speeches based again, upon my own life’s experience. Today, my lifelong love affair is in full motion, my lover is adorned within the pages of this book! I bid you fond reading, inspiration, laughter, and a whole lot more!

With gratitude, enjoy!

CATALYST POETRY by Mandy E. Robinson