Bleeding Ink... Lost Life. Lost Friends. Lost Love.

“BLEEDING INK… Lost Life. Lost Friends. Lost Love.”
Based on true life events, Bleeding Ink depicts the excruciating pain of the author, E. M. Bless’On III, after surviving a car accident in 2003 that unfortunately took the young life of his best friend. Holding your best friend in your arms whiles he gasps for his last breath, is an image that can never leave you until you leave this earth. As painful as talking about the tragedy is, writing painstakingly became a remedy. Only words could cry for him and ink bleed for him. So here in this anthology, he navigates through a pool of emotions dealing with loss and how that changed his views on life, friendship and love. He also goes deeper with never-before-seen material on personal development, family, loyalty, betrayal, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, mental health stigma, prejudice and unconscious bias.
In loving memory of Bennett Owusu Nyame aka Skelo and all my lost friends.

Have you ever had a direct encounter with death? Have you ever had conversation with death? Can you even picture that? What would be your first words? I survived (or so I thought)! Hunted by the image of my dear friend gasping for his last breath whilst lying helpless in my hands, I have been on a journey to recreate that image into a happy one – at least until the realisation of God's promise to resurrect our dead love(d) ones. I have since lived for the day where embrace and laughter would bond us forever but only through my imagination – at least for now. The only way I have been able to express my pain is through my poetry. Yet, for this experience of losing my closest friend and almost losing my own life, at a time in life where the fruit of our labour was reaching its full fruition, has never been easy to relate.

This is a compilation of poems and true life stories written over the last 20 years. Most of these writings I have never shared. I wrote letters I never posted. I expressed views I was too scared to share. I thought of what one would think of me. I had an image that needed protection, for we find solace in the fictional characters we create. Since death can take away the real characters in our lives, we become over-protective of our creations, not out of fear of the known but of the unknown. So I wrote anonymous stories, poems, songs and social commentaries and sometimes using other pen-names.

"… As a Social Commentator, he has the uncanny knack of painting vivid, moving images with words… Bless'On's delivery from start to finish invokes a resounding call to action to make something beautiful out of tragedy. Bleeding Ink is definitely a 'must-read'."
- John Lenney Jnr MBE, Musician/DJ/Producer and Founder of Radio Cardiff

“Bless’On’s writing is passionate and expressive. He makes his opinions and feelings very clear."
- Tom Cheesman, Professor of German (Swansea University), Author & Co-founder of Hafan Books

"The poems reflect a deep sense of art, maturity and passion for diversity which is aptly conveyed in the array of diverse poems… Readers will find these poems thought provoking, impactive and powerful. A brilliant read for all."
- Mrs. Uzo Iwobi OBE, CEO of Race Council Cymru & Founder of African Community Centre Wales