The Poetry of Staying Alive

Writing helps focus the mind, and for many, keeping a diary is therapeutic. However, the author found journaling to be a tedious chore, and sought a means to achieve the same objective through poetry. Perhaps the appeal is in the imagery or the rhythm of language. In the struggle to make sense of life, poetry truly has become for the author a means of emotional survival.

This is an anthology of poems, including a few translations from the Japanese, written while the author lived in Hanford CA from 2003 to 2008. A slower pace of life, proximity to the Sierra Nevada, and opportunities to travel by train, offered rich opportunities for reflection. These verses are the fruit of slowing down for a while and finding the time for personal expression.