This book is the fruit of a tangled garden nurtured sporadically over 3 1/2 decades. Inspiration for many of the poems in it derives from a look at the circumstances and experiences of people, both great and small, who live both presently and in the distant past. The voices in other poems belong to people - including the poet - who have come into contact with the modern world in one way or another. Most of the poems were not written with a view to ever seeing publication. They were intended only for the eyes of those in the poe's inner circle who might be interested in reading them. They are an intellectual legacy of sorts, a bequeathal to loved ones and friends.