A fearless and luminous meditation on what it means to live a full human life. The poet charts the terrain of childhood innocence, romantic longing, political rage, aging, grief, and existential reckoning.

Sometimes lyrical, but often searing and heartrending, this collection of poems takes the reader on an emotional journey about how life’s experiences shape who we become.

I was born in New York City and raised in upstate New York and Long Island. A hippie in the late ’60s, I experienced the emotional and political turmoil of the Vietnam War. I graduated college with a degree in Psychology with my four-year-old daughter and husband standing next to me. I pursued a business career for about 20 years, returning to Graduate School and becoming a Clinical Psychologist at the age of 50. Working with clients with chronic and severe mental illness in both community and VA settings informed many of the themes in my poetry. However, poetry has been a part of me since my early teens. In this collection, I offer a personally candid, but ultimately hopeful perspective on a life of 77 years. Married for 56 years, I have been graced with a wonderful family and close life-long friends. I am at my best in the forest. Horses have always been a part of my life as have dogs and cats. We live in beautiful Northern California where the mountains and lakes of this area keep my soul alive and well.