Ken Gierke is a retired truck driver, transplanted to Missourifrom Western New York. After only ten years here, he is actually coming to think of Missouri as home, in spite of muddy water and a dearth of maple trees. While his poetry has appeared in several anthologies, this is his first published collection.

Retired, then transplanted from Western New York to Missouri, I find myself missing familiar sights, but remind myself that familiarity is a state of mind.

Time spent on or near the water has always been important to me. In a past life that meant boating and scuba diving. Today it means kayaking or walking along a river or stream. It may even mean sitting on a shoreline, writing poetry. Photography has always been a favorite pastime, so taking photos often is as important to me as the sights I see, but those sights aren't limited to Nature. I find myself seeking angles and lines, and, as you might expect, some of the most intriguing lines can be found in architecture, but they also can be seen in groups of objects - and that includes people. Of course, as I'm enjoying the outdoors or observing people and architecture, all of this becomes part of my "familiar." My goal is to write about my ever-broadening familiar.