Strands of Memory—My Swan Song is a collection of sweet and bittersweet memories that reveals the author's successes and failures, dreams and fantasies, strengths and weaknesses. It tells stories and draws word pictures celebrating life in more than 140 poems. The author shares thoughts and feelings about his experiences over a period of more than eighty-five years. It commemorates people in the author's life and their loves, friendships, courage, and strengths. It tells stories and draws word pictures about love, family, friendship, work, war, nature, life, and death. The collection also sings the songs of his life, his joys and sorrows. It chronicles incidents, events, and the things that have troubled, hurt, and pleased the author and his family and friends. In short, the book describes relationships and events that have made his life more meaningful and rewarding as well as challenging. The events and situations described in both rhyme and blank verse include many to which readers will readily relate because they have shared similar experiences. In short, the poems will touch the reader's heart, mind, and soul.