It started with a Poem...
On Finding Someone
By
Joel Nelson
If on some better than average day
I should be riding along
Observing—not expecting—well maybe
And should see just as hoof swept by
One flawless arrow point--
If on that shining morning
I should step down to lift this point
Turning it delicately—feeling its smoothness
Beneath my fingertips
I would marvel at its perfection
At the way some ancient one
Had tempered and crafted such beauty
And how it came to lie there
All these centuries—covered—uncovered
Re-hidden—re-exposed
Until it came to me
To happen by this place
On this day made now more perfect.
And I would ponder such things
As coincidence and circles and synchronicity,
And I would pocket this treasure near my heart,
And riding on I would recall
Having seen such treasure as this elsewhere
But not this one—not this one.
And for one brief moment I would stiffen with fear
At how one quick glance in another direction
Could have lost this to me forever,
And I would touch my shirt over my heart
Just to make sure.
With permission of © 1998, Joel Nelson
Living on an idyllic little sub tropical speck in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean known as Madeira Island I guess I was bored. My daughter had recently returned to the UK and I took up writing as a means to ease the tedium. Although the island has all the mod cons it is a long distance from the mainland and with friends and family so far away, the internet became a source of contact.
Joining a few social games, I met a Cowboy from Texas and every day we would chitchat about anything from the weather, celebrations and hog pits in Texas to Festivals, travel and general island life then one day that chitchat changed my life forever.
The day started much like any other; I arose, had a cup of tea and headed for the computer. The message from said Cowboy was simply a poem. Reading and re-reading it struck a chord and it affected me so much, a story formed in my mind and later that day I began writing. For two weeks, the words flowed, and 16,000 words later, it was finished at which point, I put it on my website and forgot about it. That was until three weeks after when a friend and editor saw it, and suggested I made it into a book.
The thought of course was daunting, and I did think about it for a while but when ideas began popping into my head, it seemed like a good idea and so it began.
So engrossed in my fictional world, two months sped past and suddenly, as I neared the end of the story, it occurred to me that putting the poem in the front of the book would be a good idea and I set to tracking down the author.
This was simpler than I expected and a week later, I made a rather nerve wracking call to America.
I found Joel and his wife Sylvia an absolute delight, and Joel immediately agreed that I could use his poem then promptly suggested I attend the Cowboy Poetry Festival in Texas, early the following year. I laughed it off saying I would love to but it was a long way to go for a weekend. Delighted with the outcome, I headed to bed.
That was where the trouble started because the following morning, the idea of the Poetry Festival kept niggling and the more I thought about it, the more the idea appealed. Therefore, by the time I finished the book, I was seriously looking at the feasibility of taking the long trip to the United States.
It seems now that it was a foregone conclusion and destiny was pushing me in a new direction, so in January, I booked the tickets and at the end of February, I found myself on a plane headed for the unknown.
Being part Gypsy by birth I have travelled all my life so the trip in itself, including an unplanned sleep over in an airport, was a fun diversion and forty-eight hours later after three plane trips and one long bus ride, I stepped out into the bright sunshine of a small Texan town. Gazing around and taking a deep breath, my first thought was ‘I could live here’.
Joel and Sylvia were there, waiting for me and this was the beginning of a love affair – with Texas. The weekend sped by so fast and there was not enough time. However, having tasted a little of Cowboy way of life, listened intently to the heartfelt poetry and found myself reduced to tears at one point when, in the auditorium, Joel read the poem for me that brought me thus far I found myself considering a move to the town. On the Sunday, I attended church for the first time in many years and thanks to the Pastor, it renewed my faith and I immediately joined the Cowboy Church.
Meanwhile some rather strange coincidences appeared. Silly little things, names and places I recognised even though I had never been there before but had described in minute detail in my book and the biggest surprise was Joel keeping his cattle on land that had the same name as my ranch in the book.
Therefore, as Tuesday dawned, I stepped back onto the bus with mixed feelings about life in general. After a flying visit to a Facebook girl friend in Arkansas afterwards and spending two wonderful days dashing around, again trying to see as much as possible, I headed home.
When I arrived back on the island and stepped onto the tarmac, my mind was set. I intended to move to the United States, alone.
Up to that point, I had been married for 32 years but for a long time I knew we could not continue therefore, when we arrived home, I asked for a divorce, rightly or wrongly, it had been on the cards for many years, I merely took the next step.
So overnight, our lives changed. Three weeks later (it is very quick here), we were officially divorced and that is where it still stands. The house is still up for sale as the housing market took a nosedive here, as it did everywhere. When it sells, I will return to the little town that inspired me to find myself. After that…who knows….
Watch this space…