Ever since I started learning to play the guitar fifty-some years ago, writing my own songs and putting words to rhythm and rhyme became a sort of hobby that I used to fill my spare time. Initially, these were just simple folk and country songs, but because my singing voice was t that great and music t of major interest- and because I was very shy and self-conscious- I kept music and song as my part-time reclusive companions. However, whenever I felt some phrases, concept, or event in my life warranted expression in song or poetic verse, I would sit down and work it out in the moment and then store it away in my tebooks. Over the years, and as my consciousness moved increasingly into spiritual things, expressing concepts poetically seen the natural medium for spiritual thoughts and feelings and thus my writings turn more to poetry and poetic prose. These and numerous song lyrics were all scattered about in various tebooks and computer files, and t until I one day decided to organize them into coherent order did it occur to me that someone else might be interested in that which had flowed so effortlessly off the end of my pen over the years. Whether a book of poetry would interest anyone or t I didn't kw because I have never had any interest in poetry as such. Poetry has always seemed to be such a personal expression that most poetry I had heard or read either escaped my limited intelligence completely, put me to sleep, or embarrassed me for t wanting to make an honest comment. Even the best of poetry when delivered by a dead tongue is lifeless. When delivered by a masterful actor, however, is unequaled in its spellbinding power. There are roughly 40 poems, 19 song lyrics, 7 letters or stories, and six author's commentaries here between these covers. Most may be of minimal interest or momentary entertainment. Hopefully, more than a few will be provoking of profound thought. If, however there is just one that you read over and over again down through the years, you will wonder just as I do where such beautiful words come from. Such is the mystery of really great poetry.