It wasn't so long ago that John Blankenship's family was gathered in the intensive care unit, following a stroke he'd suffered. His future was uncertain. How much damage had the stroke done? Would he recover?

The family didn't know, and, said his granddaughter Kim Adams, it seemed like a great time to go through his poetry.

Adams said her grandfather had been a well-connected man: former owner of the Sinclair station on Broadway in Cape Girardeau, and a horse breeder who had earned multiple trophies.

"The family had always talked about publishing his poems because he had so many and did such a good job," Adams said. Five large binders full of poems, on a multitude of subjects, she said.

Collectively, the family picked four categories: religion, family, cowboys and his wife, Marilyn.

John BlankenshipSubmitted

Blankenship himself said the book was a total surprise.

"I'm an old horse trainer. People have been telling me for years to get my work published but I don't do it for that, I do it for my own pleasure. Kim surprised me," he said.

The first poem he ever wrote was for his wife to commemorate their 25th wedding anniversary, in 1978, he said.

She carried a laminated copy in her wallet for years without telling him, and after she died in 2017, he found it. "And now I carry it just as she had it," he said.

On several occasions, he said, people would ask him to write a poem for them. An entire binder is devoted to those, he said.

John Blankenship poses for a portrait Wednesday at Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau.Submitted

Of his cowboy-themed poetry, he said, "I think all little boys are big cowboys at heart."

His years raising and training horses at Cedar Vista Ranch, the trail riding, the time with his family devoted to caring for their horses, all were important to him, he said.

Once he started writing poetry, Blankenship said, "It started to flow out of me.

"I've written on about every subject. I have to be inspired, but when I get inspiration, I can write a poem in 10 or 20 minutes. Course, it takes me about twice as long to type it, a key at a time," he said, chuckling. "They come out of my mind pretty fast."

Said Adams, "I know he's accomplished so much in life. This (book) is one more peg on his board, something he would be so proud of."

After the family selected poems that they felt captured the highlights of his work, Adams said she researched how to self-publish a book, and after about a month of hard work, she put it together, including photos that she felt would illustrate the poems well.

"The rest is history," she said.

This book is not just important to her father as a feather in his cap, she said. "He's had a loss of independence, and with Grandma's passing, he feels so alone," Adams said. "I wanted to give him something to look forward to, to keep his spirits up.

"His poems mean a lot to me, and they're a true inspiration for our family," she said. "I wanted to give back to him and make him proud just like he makes us proud."

Adams said her favorite part is the love story between her grandparents. "They were together for so long," she said. "There are not too many loves like that out there anymore."

Said Blankenship, "The bottom line is, I wrote a lot of poetry. It meant a lot to me. I know (Marilyn) can hear us in heaven."

Blankenship said he's lived a lot of life.

"I've had 5 strokes, and a heart attack on the last one," he said. "I've had a great life. If the good Lord takes me away today, I have no regrets." He paused, thoughtfully. "Not to say I wouldn't do things differently. We're all sinners, but the general trend holds true."

John Blankenship will sign copies of his poetry collection, "Direct From the Brain," from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 16, at the Lutheran Home, 2825 Bloomfield Road in Cape Girardeau.

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