I never planned to return to poetry. In many ways this little book has been forming quietly in the background of my life for more than thirty years. It has stayed with me through faith, longing, running, doubt, and moments of hope. Only recently did the words find their way back onto the page with a new sense of honesty and courage.

Where It Began

I was 18 years old, fresh out of school and doing my compulsory army service when poetry found me. Something opened inside me, a place where emotion and faith and questions could breathe. I filled notebooks with Afrikaans poems about life and love and God. It felt too personal to share, like handing someone a piece of my heart.

Later I showed a few poems to Donal W. Riekert, a well known South African writer. He encouraged me to refine them and even suggested turning them into songs. His encouragement stayed with me for years, even though I did not know how to improve them at the time.

The Quiet Years

As life grew full, the poetry slowed. The words came only in small drops, usually during moments of reflection or prayer. Sometimes they arrived while running before sunrise. Sometimes in loneliness. A few pieces found their way onto this blog. Some turned into songs. But poetry mostly waited in the background of my life.

A Challenge That Woke Something Up

Earlier this year I saw a 21 day poetry book challenge by Bookleaf Publishing. It was the spark I needed. I wrote the required 21 poems in 15 days and revisited old ones with the eyes of someone older and hopefully a little wiser. It felt like the younger version of me and the present version of me were writing together.

The Finished Book

The final collection, How Far, is now available:

There are a few printing imperfections because I was too eager to see it published, but I am grateful for how the poems themselves turned out.

Why the Title How Far

The title comes from the first poem in the book. One of the lines asks:

“How far can I follow before the cadence breaks and the blend of loneliness and pain wrestles down this defiant metronome?”

This question lives not only in running, but in life, faith, family, and getting older. How far can I go? How far can I grow? How far can I stay hopeful?

What You Will Find Inside

Many of the poems in this book are personal and honest. Some explore running. Some explore faith. Some explore the quiet struggles that shape us.

One line that captures my own journey is:

“I run in your rain, my skin, my soul dissolving into your mighty storm.”

Running has always been more than exercise for me. It clears the noise. It opens space. It often turns into prayer.

Another theme that threads through the book is hope. Real hope, even when life feels slow or heavy. As one poem says:

“There is this hope that somehow through the decline of strength and circle there is a wide and free land where those who lose and lost will stand and see the Everlasting come to make everything new.”

There are also poems about loneliness and connection, including this small confession:

“I am not alone. Your breath and body is here. I am just lonely.”

And finally there is the quiet strength that comes from faith, captured in these lines:

“Laced with hope, drenched with faith and love, supplied with strength, I am running free.”

My Hope for Readers

My hope is that somewhere in these pages you will find a line that meets you where you are. Something that lifts you. Something that makes you feel less alone. Something that reminds you that even in the quiet or difficult places, God is near and hope is real.

If any poem speaks to you, I would truly like to hear which one and why. It will help me decide if this journey should continue into a second collection.