It's time.

I have been writing for so long now.

If you've followed since issue one of Frgmnts, you know...
...I wrote my first poem in 2nd grade.
...I wrote my own lyrics and silly parodies to popular songs in middle school.
...I fell in love with poetry after taking a poetry class in high school.
...I wrote and recorded music with multiple bands throughout high school and college.
...when I graduated college and entered "the real world," I mostly stopped writing.
...I picked up writing poetry again in 2021, to help process some heavy emotions.

This is issue #060 of Frgmnts. That's 60 pieces of poetry, 60 emails full of reflection, and 60 invitations for you to reflect along with me, in your own personal way.

In just over 14 months of weekly writing, I have poured some deep and intimate parts of myself into this newsletter.

This is all so amazing; but...

`What a mundane job that is: To stand firmly in one place, running, endlessly.`

`#060 / 10.19.22`

I feel like I have been running in place.

The fragments I share in this newsletter are often pieces of poems that have yet to see the light of day. They are like the tiny beams of sunlight you see deep in the forrest, shining through the cracks of the thick canopy above — but so much of the forrest is still in darkness.

Most of my writing has been sitting on a shelf in a dim room, waiting to be illuminated with light.

On my birthday a couple weeks ago, my wife asked me — at dinner with some close friends of mine — "What do you want to accomplish in the next year?" After a long pause of silence, she quietly suggested, "Release your first book of poetry?" She took the words right out of my mouth.

After endless writing, writing, and more writing, I am ready to publish some of my favorite and most personal pieces.

It will take a lot of work, and it won't be fast. But I'm excited to bring you along for the ride! And I couldn't ask for a better support system than the small but mighty community I have built here, with you. :)

So, get ready for a book of poetry by me — Benny Bowden — coming sometime in 2024!

Before I let you go, a quick reflection: In what area of your life have you been running in place? What will be your first step forward? Pause and answer this for yourself. If you feel like sharing you can reply to this email.

Thank you for joining me.

See you next Tuesday,

Benny

Read all the past issues of Frgmnts here.

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Keep up with all my poetry here.

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Frgmnts / Issue #062: I Have No Idea What I'm Doing

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