Mixed Bag

The work contained in this book is in essence, a travelogue but one with a difference. The book uses four different poetic forms, free verse, haibun, haiku sequences and tanka to provide a description of the places the poet has visited. The work is enhanced by photos of the journey. It harkens back to both Japanese masters who traveled to the Far North with the road songs of of Whitman and Kerouac. In addition, these journeys are not simply places on a map: they reference journeys through time, celebrating the poets past as well as the here and now. The variety of forms used mimic the the poet's experience, whether it takes place in the United States, North America, Europea or Near East Asian continents. The poems delve into the places within the heart and the mind; they ask questions of the universe and of the poet's place and all of humanities place within it. These are journeys of joy, of wonder and sometimes of sorrow, perhaps in reading this work you too will be inspired to take such journeys of your own. Enjoy!