Kindred Spirit: The Author Who Inspired Me
By Donnée Harris, Writers of Kern
“From childhood’s hour I have not been. As others were—I have not seen. As others saw—I could not bring. My passions from a common spring.”
When I was a child those words spoke to me and began my journey into the world of writing. I left all my pain and sorrow on the pages of journals and cheap spiralbound notebooks.
You see, I was never like the others. There was no one on this earth that suffered the way I did. At least those were the thoughts that swirled around in my youthful mind. I suffered from a deep unrelenting depression. I felt I could not bear my reality. My only recourse was to stuff my nose in books and getting lost in stories forged in the minds of fellow writers and dreamers.
Understanding of my needs, teachers gave me books filled with poetry and fantastical stories. It was amongst these I came across Edgar Allan Poe. His words leapt from the pages and called to the deeply rooted writer in me. He was also a tormented soul. A kindred spirit. Reading his works inspired me to purge my soul of my innermost demons.
His poem “Alone,” quoted at the beginning, inspired me to write poetry. Ironically, it made me feel less alone. His poems helped me to cope with my depression and denied death my eternal soul…for now. His works were a gift to me. One I know will last a lifetime.