A Collection Of Poems

About the Book

About the Author

I was born August 23, 1928 to Alonzo and Grace Terrel in Clarksdale, Mississippi. I was the oldest of two resulting from this union. I was born in that part of the state commonly referred to as the “delta”. Also during that time, cotton was the primary source of income and the base for the area’s economy. Therefore, my earliest work experience was in the cotton fields. My parents were share croppers during my early childhood. This in turn had an adverse effect on our school attendance. It was a common practice for schools to remain closed during the months of September through November for the harvesting of cotton. Basically the average school year was four and a half to five months long. Because of the uncertainty of cotton crops along with questionable practices by land owners, money was virtually non-existent. In other words, we were poor. Yet, in spite of the poverty, my folks had a vision or a dream that there could be a better life for us, their children. Our educational growth was one of the top priorities in our home. We were urged to “get an education”. My mother went to the 8th grade. Later, she earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Elementary Education. My father only went as high as the 7th grade. My grandma, only the 3rd grade, my brother finished high school. I was the first in my family to earn a college degree. God blessed me with the gift to teach. So, for over 30 years, I taught Biology and Chemistry in the public schools of Mississippi and Louisiana.