Poets write primarily for their own benefit and pleasure–to themselves and for themselves. When a poet, therefore, allows you to peer over his or her shoulder, they are permitting you a glimpse into their souls.

I am primarily a writer of prose and have agonized for years over the prospect of seeing a book of my poems in print, loath to unleash them upon family and friends, let alone the world. Even so, that there might be a record, and with my apologies, here is my first volume of selected poems. –Michael Leonard Jewell