Poetically speaking, one’s rearview mirror is a place in the subconscious where we relive and recreate our past. In Flashes From My Rearview Mirror, the author has recreated his past and presented it in poetic form to allow the readers to tap into his experiences and prepare themselves for these kinds of encounters in the future.

The first section, LOVE, takes you on a journey from adolescence, to identifying true love, to being careful about falling into blind love, and finally into losing a lifelong love. The second section, LIFE, defines the many essentials that one needs to understand for surviving and living in harmony within this simple yet at times self-created complex world. And finally, WAR. Many people write about war, yet very few experience it. This section gives the reader an up-close and personal view from one who has experienced the Vietnam War firsthand, from preparation for war,surviving the war, and living with its effects afterward.

This exciting collection of contemporary poetry incorporates a broad scope of themes, with a strong narrative voice and an honest exploration of emotions.

After having served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, Raymond Lopez earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. He worked for several major corporations and gained a great deal of common knowledge both at the corporate level and the everyday survival level. Every chance he had, he volunteered his time to work with high school kids to teach them about the pitfalls of life as well as a commonsense approach to life. Flashes From My Rearview Mirror is Raymond’s debut book and just the beginning of several planned books in poetry, novel, and short story form.