This collection is my second book to be self-published but in reality, it's my fifteenth manuscript of original poetry. I first started writing poetry in my junior high school calligraphy class. I loved that class and the teacher who taught it. He was one of those cool teachers all the kids liked, and he played rock-n-roll records on his fold-up phonograph player during the class.
Like music, writing became an outlet for me and became a friend. It helped me get through the fearful adolescent years as well as the horrible, angry, drunken years that nearly killed me. This collection covers the period in my life after my second divorce and the end of my first period of sobriety. I was fortunate enough to have some awesome experiences playing music with some wonderful musicians, but being in the bars also opened the door for alcohol to became a problem again. I became an internet serial dater, trying to make up for lost time. I was seeking another soul mate while also trying to grow up all over again. I frequently wrote opinion letters to our local newspaper and many of them were published and are another collection I'd like to publish someday. I love writing about societies problems and have an aspiration to make the world a better place, one idea at a time.
I know my poetry is not that brilliant. I know technically, it would never win any contest. But there's something inside of me that wants me to do this. It's part of who I am, and this collection is part of my story. It's also one of those things that if I don't finish it, I'll regret it forever.
Like many people, the last few years have been very tough. I want to personally thank all my friends who have been there for me and supported my writing. There's much more to do and write, so I hope you enjoy this collection and I'll stay busy putting my next compilation together. God bless us all.