Discovery

When life, as he knew it, was stripped away, left with NO freedom except in his mind, Rick Sikes journeyed deep inside seeking to discover his true self.

It took time, but he eventually found the man he'd forgotten existed. Even though they confined his body in an iron cage, they couldn't lock away his mind. He made a conscious choice to channel all of the creativity inside him to a positive beat.

What you'll find between the covers of this book are expressions of raw emotion...Poems of deep sadness and loss, humorous musings, political wisdom, life observations and tender love from both Rick and Jan Sikes.

The pen-and-ink art drawn by Rick, is simply another extension of creativity and partner with the poems. The proper name for this style of art is Pointillism, but I prefer to think of it as Rick's unique brand.

Rick Sikes poured pieces of his heart and soul into these writings and art, and it was his hope that through hard-earned wisdom and insight, he could help others on their soul's journey.

He departed from this earth in 2009 and this poetry and art book is another tribute to the rich legacy he left behind.

With a wide variety of subjects within these writings, there is something for everyone.

James Richard (Rick) Sikes was born smack in the middle of the great depression. His family, although dirt-poor, were a proud people. At a young age, his father taught him to fire a rifle. He hunted meat for the family by the time he was twelve, along with his faithful collie, Fireball. How he loved the country and roaming through the hills and valleys of central west Texas. He discovered music, or maybe music discovered him at the age of fourteen. By the time he entered his senior year in high school, he had formed a weekend band, along with his childhood friend, Dean Beard. His music career took him down the roads of Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and out to California until, in 1971, he was arrested, found guilty and sentenced to seventy-five years in prison for two bank robberies. Being convicted of a crime he had not committed, he arrived at the gates of Leavenworth Penitentiary, angry, bitter and rebellious. But, time has a way of smoothing out the rough edges of a man's soul. He spent every spare minute doing something creative with his hands and mind. He discovered who he really was and saw how he'd gotten lost along the journey down so many roads. In this poetry and art book, you will find a sampling of the creative genius who lived inside Rick Sikes. You'll see his distorted sense of humor, feel the loneliness that permeated his being and get a glimpse of the world around him through his eyes. These poems are literal breaths of life from within a prison cell. In 2013, Rick Sikes was listed in the Texas State Historical Association Handbook as a pioneer in Texas Music. In 2004, he was inducted into the Central West Texas Music Hall of Fame under the Rockabilly category. Rick finished his earth journey on May1, 2009. His widow, Jan Sikes, has written his entire story through a series of four books. If you enjoy these poems and art, please take a closer look at the books depicting his life.

Jan Sikes started writing when she was a young girl, around the age of eight. Her first writing was a gospel song. She had an uncle whom she loved dearly, but he was an alcoholic and his drinking caused such family discord that at times, resulted in him being banished from their home. So, she wrote a song about Uncle Luke finding Jesus. That is her first memory of feeling the passion deep down to her toes for writing. The stories she writes (so far) are true stories about the journey of two people moving through adversity in order to grow and learn to become better humans. She believes with all her heart there is something that is worthy of sharing in these stories. Bits and pieces of wisdom, hard-learned lessons and above and beyond all, love...True love that you read about in fiction stories and yet this is truth. The old saying that truth is stranger than fiction fits the stories that she shares through her writing. She is passionate about her writing projects and is driven to tell a story with the hope that it might touch someone's heart or life in a positive way. Along with each book, Jan also releases a music cd of original songs that fits the time period of the story. Why? Because the stories revolve and evolve around a passion for music. North Texas is where she calls home. You'll often find her at Texas music festivals and has five incredible grandchildren. Memberships: The Texas Association of Authors, The Academy of Texas Music, Writer's Guild, Non-Fiction Writer's Association, National Association of Professional Women, International Women's Leadership Association, Goodreads and Author's Den.