Totally by Choice
Monday, 15 January 2024
| John Kidson
I write because I have to. I write out of a raw need to work through my emotions.
I need to give expression to the black ghosts in my guts.
If I read my writing, just once, then my work is therapeutic.
I write because I have to. I write out of a raw need to be noticed, respected, marvelled at.
I need to give expression to the hate and hope, the love, lust and longings of people all around me.
If just a few people read my writing, nod and smile or weep, then I am content.
I write because I have to. I write out of a raw need to be a voice of justice and truth, of God and hope.
I need to give expression to reality, to be like salt stinging, highlighting and healing, prophesying and preserving.
If the Lord and his angels but smile at my efforts, then my pen perhaps touches the eternal.
I write because I have to. I am not neurotic.
John Kidson was a youth worker/uni chaplain and recently retired from ministry in Grafton Anglican Diocese. He is a frequent contributor to Engage.Mail.
Image credits
A white box with writing on it next to a plant by Hannah Grace on Unsplash.
Dark Room Office Table Chair Lamp by StockSnap on Pixabay.