Bonnie Pike

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Written by Gary Lemcke


Where does someone find inspiration? If you ask a roomful of writers where they get theirs, you will probably get a room full of answers; all of them totally different from the next:

For some, it can come in the form of a loved one; the one you picked up and held in your arms when they were born, or the one you held as they breathed their last breath.

For some, it can be found in a walk on a brisk N.Y. autumn day sharing the sun with crimson colored leaves.

For some, it can even be found in the smell of hot coffee brewing on a morning after�

Some can find that inspiration in a dog�s friendly bark or the laughter of a child.

Still others, like me, can find it in a life long friend�s experience that was shared with you and allowed you to feel every emotion right along with them.

Inspiration can from:
A dream
A tragedy
A disease
Or that illness that everyone feels at some time in their life but which the world�s best doctors and surgeons can�t put their hands on it to heal; heartache.

Within the confines of the cover of this book, you will find a writer who has found her inspiration in all of these things and managed to take all of these special moments, place them in poetic form, and allow the reader to feel in their own right all of the things that consist of what we humans call life.

Bonnie Pike was born on June 8, 1956 in the small of Westfield N.Y. At the age of 2 and a half, she was placed into the foster care system and later adopted by Edward and Mary Breuilly when she was four and a half years old. The small town of Albion N.Y. became her hometown. Fourteen years later, she married her high school sweetheart on August 10, 1974 and immediately became a Navy wife.

Bonnie and Doug produced three wonderful children and, since 1998, she has been blessed with the addition of five grandchildren. A Navy career man from 1972-1992, Doug became terminally ill in 1997 and passed away in 1998, proving once again that life is indeed far too short.

Throughout her life, Bonnie has given the enduring hand of support for those people among us that we tend to ignore as we pass through the pinnacles and pitfalls of our own lives. Bonnie knew all too well, having been a recipient of the dark shadows of child abuse, that every human being is worthy of love and support in some fashion. Her love for children is always evident. While living in Pensacola Florida, she established the first Cub Scout Pack for emotionally and mentally challenged boys. She also worked with the Campfire Kids and 4-H. Then, as the panic of AIDS continued to grow, she became a volunteer in support programs for the victims and their families. She gave the gift of love, touch, and support to dying men when most of the world turned away from them.

With a never ending search for knowledge; she is currently pursuing her third degree. Bonnie currently holds two degrees after attending Brockport State University, Troy State University, the University of Phoenix and Chandler-Gilbert Community College.

Writing poetry comes as naturally to Bonnie as taking a breath of the first air of the day is to the rest of us. She was first published in 1972, writing a collection of works entitled �A Teenager�s Thoughts on Life.� While living in Pensacola, Bonnie also became an active member of the West Florida Literary Federation where she actively participated in the Back Door Poets, produced and directed the Reader�s Showcase and served for a year on the Board of Directors. She has been featured in the �Emerald Coast Review,� �The Poet�s Voice,� �Amelia,� and �Home Life.�

In October of 2002, Bonnie published her first solo book of poetry which is titled �Survive the Shadow Stalker: A Poetic Journey through Abuse.� The poems that grace the pages of this book detail not only the personal survival of abuse, but of the tragedy of abuse suffered from the blind hand of illness, rape, war, and loneliness.

Bonnie possesses the unique gift of being able to put down on paper a feeling or thought that every one of us might have had at one time in our lives. She will not only touch your heart with the poetry that flows from her, but she will have you pull it out and touch it as well; to feel it�s warmth; to feel it�s aches. She will touch the deepest part of your soul.