These covers contain selections of poetry and essays from the last five years. All the memory-filled pages in-between are but a part of the stories we lived those years, but weÕll always have these artifacts to remind us that sometimes the past is but a prelude to a better world. Take care of these pensive poetics; they contain my inner truth. Guide them into the future for they are the artifacts of my past. My future awaits, and I will seek out new artifacts to explore. Until then, my past is right here, literally an open book.