Like drops of water that reflect the trees and sky that surrounds them, poems, for me, are characterized by unexpected tension that contains something real—yet slightly askew—and somehow beyond the confines of its diminutive size. My poems are the byproduct of deep noticing—a kind of super-focus that may be result from the keener than average vision I was gifted with (until the need for reading glasses set in). I have always, always, written them, and my hard work (and play) with words has been sharpened by the generosity, encouragement, and challenges of many teachers, writers, and poet friends.