Dev's Bio

Words have the power to heal, induce change, and bridge gaps between cultures allowing readers to experience a life or perspective they've never fathomed. Poetry is the one activity I find myself most consumed with throughout my day.

My recent discovery of poetry comes at the end of a long road. At the relatively young age of thirty, this proclamation may seem a bit premature, but when it comes to the expression and release of pent-up
thought and feelings that don't even finish forming until the words hit the page, the release can feel soothing to my otherwise knotted soul. This easing of sorts helps give me a purpose to a life that didn't always feel so purposeful.

I was raised in Seattle by my single immigrant mother from Trinidad. My father, who was raised in Florida, was around off and on. I have an older sister and a younger brother who have been in and out of my adult life. I seem to have internalized the pains of growing up impoverished differently than they did, but I am glad to have them in my life today.

As a lonely teenager, I moved to New York City to break away from my childhood. There, I experienced everything from the street drug life to the Manhattan night life. I observed street rap battles on a regular basis--a testimonial to the rhythmic culture of Harlem. At twenty-two, I met an energetic, kind, and amazingly toned fitness trainer at an upper eastside of Manhattan gym. We currently reside in Portland, Oregon, with our three kids.

I see the rhyme and rhythm I observed in Harlem emerge in my poems today. I write about American and worldwide cultures as well as current events, while reflecting my personal experiences of poverty, street life, working life, love, and fatherhood.

My poetry is unique, but I find inspiration in everyone from Charles Bukowski to Sylvia Plath to Maya Angelou as well as the prose of Jack Kerouac. Rather than looking to other poets for inspiration, though, I turn to life-- experiences and perspectives no one else can claim, yet based in universal emotions and culture clashes every reader can relate to as a poetic theme.