It’s an exciting time, but today is a very special day to me, and it’s also a very special day for poet Maxine McIntosh-McCalla (affectionately, Miss P.) of Barton, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. All her nieces and nephews call her Aunt P.

Today is her birthday. She turns sixty-one.

Over the last four years, she has played an instrumental role to help me find my life’s purpose. In fact, she has now been immortalized as an indelible part of my journey. In the final official version of my first novel, What’s In A Name, which has just been re-released (February 2020), I mentioned her in the Author’s Note. Why? I discovered that she is a poet, and she had written me pieces that ended up in the novel as the words from the mind of one of the pivotal characters known as Dell-Dell.

Today, I think it is opportune and appropriate to share with the world the powerful and wonderful pieces that Aunt P. has written to me for encouragement and personal development, and on my writing journey. I find her words poetic and, obviously, deeply inspiring. I believe you will also find that they are, too. So, without further introduction, since what I’m about to share speak for themselves, here are the words from the mind of Aunt P., my poet, Maxine McIntosh-McCalla:

The first two pieces can be found in What’s In A Name. As mentioned, I took creative licence and put them in the mind of the character Dell-Dell.

Sunshine, you measure life by loss and not by gain, not by the wine drank but by the wine poured forth. Love’s strength stands in love’s sacrifice and he who suffers most has more to give.

— What’s In A Name, by Garie McIntosh

There is troubled water, but don’t you worry, girl. You’re headed to be the sunshine queen. Stand up, firm enough (you are), to keep your light shining. For you’re the woman you are and will always be.

—What’s In A Name, by Garie McIntosh

You can’t see the stars in the daytime, but you can see them in the night. So you have to enter the darkness.

Like a marriage, when two become one, you have become one with your writing because you have dedicated yourself to it.

—A Marriage And How to See The Stars

You have built yourself over the down-fallen words that people had to say about you.

—Down-fallen Words

To fall down is not a knockout,
To fail is not a tombstone.

—Fall Down

I know it’s kinda tight sometimes for you. Keep your fingers crossed, you’re on the bigger side now. Don’t let go.

—Fingers Crossed

Anything that comes upon a good attitude, you don’t even see.

—Attitude

Jump over misfortune and stay ahead of it so that it chases after you, not the other way around.

—Misfortune

When people do things to you, it is for your upliftment.

—Upliftment

The man is left in me and the boy is passed on to you.

—The Man and The Boy

Trample them with silence.
Drown them with good thoughts.

— Trample and Drown

You must make a choice to take a chance to make a change. Ride on in life.

—The Choice

The world is changing. Focus and learn to deal with it.

—Change

After you have brutalized them, used them, you will then have to subordinate yourself to them.
I have preserved my keys to open doors.
I lost my keys, but I have found them. I now keep my eyes on my keys. I have shined them and hung them up.
Nothing beats a person who tries to keep things in line and in order.

—Keys

Life has a lot of things in it that we have not come upon yet.

—What Has Life?

I can be imprisoned, but imprison me with love.
You are my judge and my jury all in one.

—Prisoner of Love