Introduction [excerpts] For me, pleasure of poetry has always been in the connection and placement of words next to each other--of trying to create something to sound the way I want it to feel. It's a challenge and so rarely does it happen that I find the end result satisfying. But, still I continue to write. With these poems, I have carefully curated the following pages as passage through my experiences I hope to act as artifacts in time. I have worked hard to learn my craft well and dispense it thoughtfully....