The poems in this collection have been written throughout my life, beginning during my high school and university days, and continuing up until a few years ago when I turned my focus to prose and novel writing. The themes are diverse: patriotic, socially engaged, and, of course, love poems. Some seemed fitting for song lyrics, so I even composed accompanying melodies for them (but that’s a story for another medium). Every poem here holds personal significance to me, yet most have remained unpublished until now, as I was uncertain of their artistic value.

Revisiting them after forty years or more, I find that many have stood the test of time, and I have gathered them into this collection. While there is always room for revision or improvement, I’ve chosen to publish them in their original form for the sake of authenticity. Some have been enhanced with images from the internet, and most of the poems include a note on the time and circumstances under which they were written.