Skip to content
Menu
wandering matt
  • Book: 4000s by 40
  • 4000s by 40 Gallery
  • NH Hikes & Peak Lists
  • In the Mountains
  • In Nature
  • In Writing
  • In Verse
  • In Health
  • In Life
  • About Matt
  • Seekers Bookshop & Reviews
  • Home
wandering matt
before you begin

Before You Begin

Posted on December 16, 2025December 16, 2025

You don’t write for the glory,
you don’t write for the fame,
you don’t write for the money—
this is not why you came.

You don’t write for the ego,
and it’s not for your pride,
or the hope that you’re revered
on the day that you die.

You write because your soul is on fire.

Because you are an explorer
of the valleys within
and mountains never seen,
begging you to begin.

To find out what it means to be here,
and who you are.
To share what you’ve seen
so others may see in the dark.

Because the light inside you
just might touch another,
a brightness, when wholly fused,
no darkness could smother.

And that’s the point, isn’t it?
To thread humanity.
To unite its people
and grow each other’s empathy.

To share consciousness and love.
To give all that we can.
And hope others may see
what we’ve come to understand.

You write because you mean it.
You write because you care.
Write because the universe,
has made you self-aware.

And you do it because your god
has given you the chance,
to share the story
only you know how to dance.

— ❧ —

Affirmation Poem

This poem isn’t meant to be highly symbolic or deliver that kind of power. It’s meant as an affirmation poem — to serve as a motivation manifesto for deeper writing that will follow. I didn’t paint a story here through some visual, and that was intentional. I wanted this to be about the real truth behind the motivation to write and to keep it as a clearly stated guide. Hope you enjoyed it. If you did, you can find more poetry at In Verse. Happy reading!

Share this:

  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • More
  • Print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn

Related

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

4000s by 40 3D Cover

Love the mountains? 4000s by 40 is a story of missteps, hard-earned lessons, and the mountains that shape us.
[Find it here]

Thanks for visiting!
If you’d like occasional updates on new posts, upcoming books, and other stories from the trail, subscribe to the monthly newsletter. No daily inbox flooding—just a thoughtful monthly roundup of what’s happening.

WELCOME! THANKS FOR SIGNING UP! LOOK IN YOUR INBOX FOR A CONFIRMATION EMAIL...

SITE SEARCH

If you're looking for something specific, explore the site. Search on any word, mountain, etc., to see if you can find what you are looking for:

Search Bar

LATEST WANDERINGS

  • February 6, 2026 by Matt Larson A Quick Trip to Middle-earth
  • February 5, 2026 by Matt Larson The Backcountry Code
  • February 4, 2026 by Matt Larson Feeling Far Away Without Going Far: Wildcat Falls
  • January 24, 2026 by Matt Larson Peakfinding: Barrett and New Ipswich Mountain
  • January 20, 2026 by Matt Larson Pulling in a New One at Artist's Bluff
  • January 17, 2026 by Matt Larson Side Quests on My Side Quests
  • January 15, 2026 by Matt Larson Side Quest: Redlining the Wapack Trail
  • January 5, 2026 by Matt Larson Butt-Sliding on Cherry Mountain (aka Owlshead)

Wandering Matt On…

  • Instagram
  • Bluesky
  • Goodreads
© 2026 Vandreren LLC | All rights reserved. Site Disclaimer