Although I seldom write about my own experiences, often I have met people nearby, as well as in far-away places, whose experiences parallel my own. The first writing in this book is a poem, a composition from an ensemble of feelings I have experienced, and gathered into words which reflect the effect of my having been touched, or troubled, by the relationships in the planned, or chance flow of lives. I have made an effort to make clear enough, the symbolism which I use throughout the poem, as well as in some of the other writings here. During my travels, I have met many people; some interesting, others facinating. Everyone has a story. Indeed, some have many. Occasionally, actually often, I meet one who wants to tell his or her story. It seems that I attract the sort who seem to be compelled to share some part of their life experiences with me. In this book I have included only a few of the stories I have heard, or have been a witness thereto. I enjoy "picking" through stories I hear, and pulling out details which I find interesting, then I make an attempt at enhancing real experiences to the point where they almost become fiction. Robert Bertrand