I see my life, actually Life generally, as a river. Calm, gently flowing in places. Also segments with rapids, eddies and blockages. Maybe rerouted during violent storms.  I look at my writings, including these poems, as mini-facets of my river, as ripples in the bigger picture. Thus the title of this collection, Ripples in the River. I've always been curious about how we make our way through this interesting human journey and reconcile different, sometimes conflicting, experiences.  An example is one of my poems from the book:

Assimilation
the stars light my path
as i walk past
rented beach homes

ocean waves softly caressing one ear
11 o'clock news of violence and pain
assaulting the other

my simple mind trying
to assimilate the two