The Optimist

*

The weight of the world

Slides off my wings

I am not a carrier pigeon

So I carry not a heavy soul

Nor a heavy heart

Even when I am grounded

My faith is always in flight

*

(Sylvester L. Anderson – The Sevens)

I grew up in Chicago, Illinois with my brother (Mr. Imagination) and my sister (The brain), I was always the dreamer. We were raised by my mom and surrounded by uncles, aunts and my grandparents. The first poem I ever wrote was a mother’s day poem to my mom back in the third grade. I have always loved to write, whether it was stringing some rhymes together, short little stories and even my thoughts in an eight grade autograph book I used as a journal.

Growing up I was extremely shy. At home and around close friends I was completely myself, the guy with the funny faces and sounds. When it came to being in the public eye, I was quiet, observant and always let others have the spotlight. As a matter of fact I became quite adept to blending in with the crowd and going about unnoticed. During my high school years (the dark ages), I had a creative writing class and from there writing became an outlet, a way to express myself even if I was the only reader. This put me on the path to writing and publishing my first book of poetry.

After many years of writing, stalled efforts, hope and ever changing technology, I was able to self-publish my first book of poetry “Life Through Celestial Lenses” in 2012 through Createspace (they offer free publishing tools). It was a blessing for me to see this dream come true and I dedicated this book to my mom. She was always telling me to do something with that poetry. Since then I have published five more books of poetry. The latest being “The Sevens” a free ebook.  All my books are written to inspire and I hope the reader will find a poem that they can relate to and take it as their own.

The other part of my writing life is my blog syl65 here on WordPress. I have to admit when I first started blogging I didn’t have a clue what was going on. My first posts were plastered on the page with no extra dressing and I simply pressed publish. I had to learn the ins and outs of the blogging world, such as the importance of commenting and acknowledging my fellow blogging chums. I have met so many creative, talented, genuine and humorous folks here and around the blogosphere. When you think about how many posts are being uploaded and published daily, that is a lot of creativity flowing and that inspires me. Reading other’s works, listening to songs posted, art painted and photos posted is truly inspiring. I can say that over the past two years my blog has changed and evolved from just poetry to include music posts, spiritual inspiration, thoughts about life and I try to bring more humour to my blog. This is all a part of my personality and character making its way into my blog.

As far as being shy, I am nowhere near as shy as the high school teen I use to be. I have not gone completely rogue and become this wild and crazy outgoing guy either. I have managed to find a space in between where I can just be myself and have fun poking fun at myself. To all aspiring writers out there, write what you love to write about, don’t compare yourself to anyone because we need diversity in life. Be consistent and never give up on what you have to say and hope to achieve.

Find and follow Sylvester

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About the author

Sylvester L. Anderson is a poet and author, having published four print books and two ebooks. He works and lives in Illinois. He tries to spread God’s message of love and salvation through his works and daily life, while hopefully inspiring and entertaining through his blog.

Download The Sevens FREE from Smashwords HERE

All Sylvester’s books can be found at Amazon.com and Smashwords.

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