I have heard it said that tears of sorrow and pain are composed of different chemicals than are those of laughter and joy. I have no scientific knowledge of this, yet I believe it to be true. Laughter, joy, pain, and sorrow have given birth to the poetry in this book. When hurt has no place to dissipate itself, when laughter begs to be shared and multiplied with others, pen and paper are healing tools that I find invaluable to express, release, and share life's emotions. In some ways we are all conduits for enriching relationships. When pain flows like a river or laughter babbles like a brook, words and sounds give forth life. That, to me, is poetry and is what I have tried to convey in this book.