Literary Las Vegas: Sharon Austin
Southwest Las Vegas poet Sharon Austin has lived a life fit for film. Born in a small town in Arkansas, Austin was swiftly lured into the world of organized crime. Framed in a mob love triangle murder, Austin found herself in prison in an addiction recovery group. "I didn't have any problems with alcohol or drugs, so I wondered why I was there," she said. The group counselor convinced her that men could be just as overpowering an addiction. It was in prison that Austin began writing and reciting poetry, which she said changed her life and the lives of many of the women around her. "I picked up a pen and the words just came," she said. "I started writing and the words were just flowing." Many of those words can be found in her book "End of the Rainbow."
Excerpt from "End of the Rainbow"
At times I've felt that life was cruel, that
God had turned his back on me. It seemed
Fate was not on my side. But then one
Day while sitting at my window and
Watching the rain pour down. Just like
Magic, God showed me a rainbow through
The rain.
It's true I've had to live through heartaches,
And others I have hurt. But through it all
My soul has learned to live, and grow, through
Pain. So life can't always be sunshine. It
Also must have some rain.
