Fetters Into Wings
by Paul L. Dryden

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Still and calm now is my night Your words and your truths, my guiding light Even though my enemies still choose to fight Yet there is sweet peace in my valley tonight How can poetry help us deal with trauma? How do we turn our fetters into wings? Fetters Into Wings is a collection of poems on life, relationships, and social issues. There are poems that protest police violence against Black men, that celebrate the rewards of long marriage, that highlight the importance of friendship, excellence, and imagination. Whatever the subject, Fetters Into Wings ultimately celebrates our existence—what it is, what it can be, who we are, who we can become—as well as the source of our lives; God. Illustrated throughout, each poem is followed by the author’s story of what inspired it. “I can’t breathe” were our Black brothers’ cries, Their last words before they closed their eyes. Everyone stood and watched in horror, Wondering, “Who will it be tomorrow?”

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Paul started writing poetry while still at a young age to cope with a traumatic event; poetry has since become an integral part of his life. He was encouraged by friends and family to gather his writings together in this collection, his first published work. Paul’s love for reading and writing began when his first grade teacher gave him a book as a reward for being a good student. A high-school teacher inspired him further, introducing him to the likes of William Shakespeare, Richard Llewellyn, Charles Dickens, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. These early encounters sparked an enduring passion for the written word and an ardent appreciation of its power to evoke, invoke, and provoke. Paul lives with his wife and sons in Ontario, Canada.

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Contributors

Author

Paul L. Dryden

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