Asleep in Mendocino is the first published collection of early poems from John Joseph Oswald. The poetry is young, raw and honest. The themes presented: Thoughts, Feelings, Dreams, and Growing Pains, are four of the ever-present realities we all deal with. Sometimes they are bright, and sometimes they are very dark. In times of great turbulence or unusual placidness, the author’s pen has taken on a life of its own. Most of the poems in this book were written in, or about experiences in, Mendocino County, California, where the author lived and worked on a fishing boat in the late 1980s. From the Author: As I relish the memories and dream of visiting again before I set sail for new dimensions, I find myself, in many ways, and often, asleep in Mendocino. John’s aim in sharing Asleep in Mendocino is to inspire readers to become more aware of their own inner landscapes, and to connect with them on our common quest to recognize, accept and enjoy the highs and lows of life.