This book is a compilation of years of struggle not just in life but in learning how to hone my craft, such as it is, and create something that I'm assuming others would want to read. When I was honorably discharged from the navy, I found myself in the situation where none of the people I came home to had any idea of what I went through. There was a pressure in my head and my heart that I did not know how to release until I wrote my first poem. I hold feelings in, and I don't know how to articulate what's going on. But that first poem opened a door, and I gladly stepped in. Some of my earliest poems are not in this book because they failed the test of time and several moves and bad choices in storage. Some were rewritten to a certain point or they just diverged as my skills grew. Some are dedicated to my wife, Kerri, and the meeting, greeting, wooing, sharing and the painful exit where I was forced to say goodbye.

I was born and raised in California. Except for 4 years in the Navy, one trip to Europe and Africa for 8 weeks, and one trip of 2 weeks to Israel I have spent my whole life here... well, there was that booze laden Mexico cruise in 2012, but never mind. After the Navy with the help of the GI bill for education and many part time jobs I put myself through college. I started at a city college to gain my academic legs. I excelled in english, math, and history. I managed to pass the other classes; science etc. My first year at the city college I took an elective; poetry. I'm still not sure why. Over the years since then I have written poetry of many disciplines; rhymed, free verse, haiku, limericks, and a sonnet. Still working the sonnet thing... someday. When I met my wife the tone of my writing changed. When she died it changed again for a very long time. There was little humor. When the Biden administration came into power it opened a whole new, for me, direction for my poetry; The writing stuck with me and I have written, on and off, for many years. In 2017 I decided that I wanted to share so I set about trying to publish a book. The company wasn't very good at it, but then neither was I. After learning my craft, to a certain extent, I decided to try again. The results of the new attempt will be out.