This is dedicated to my children for, without them, I would have given up on everything years ago.  You guys kept me going when I didn't even know if I could take another step.  You guys kept me from giving up.  I had no choice but to keep going because the last thing I ever wanted to do was let you guys down.

Mommy loves you more than anything in this world!

First I want to thank my dear friend, Laura "Laurasia" Cheung. She and I first met on a "Lord of the Rings" fan forum, fan-girling like crazy over Haldir (sexiest Elf EVER!) and after seeing some of her amazing poetry, I'd expressed the wish that I could write poems too.  Her simple wisdom of, "You can. You just gotta try," gave me the guts to try it out.  Even with my clumsy first attempts, she was so wonderfully encouraging.  Thank you, my Smart-Ass Twin!  May the TTTTTHHHHHPPPP Be With You!

~*~

Next I want to thank my lifelong best friend, Susan Anderson.  She's been there ceaselessly for me through life's ups and downs for the past 23 years, is the godmother of my children, and I don't know what would have become of me without her unfailing support, her loyalty, and her honesty.  Thank you, Sue, for being there for me, for calling me on my shit when I needed it, for understanding and loving me even at my worst, and for just being the most amazing best friend anyone could ever ask for. I love you, my unbiological sister!

~*~

Speaking of unbiological siblings!  I want to thank my big, wolfy brother, Tony D'Ateno.  We're pack, we're family, and there's hell to pay for anyone who fucks with our family.  Thank you, big brother, for having my back, for watching out for me, and for being ready to break Viking on people that have fucked with me and my kids. I don't know where I'd be without you drill sergeant-kick my ass back onto my feet when I've been down, exhausted, and ready to give up. Hail Odin and Hail the Morrighan for their bringing you into my life!  Love you, big brother!  

~*~

Lastly, I want to thank the amazing and talented and completely wonderful Matthew William Dean.  From the moment he knew that I love to write and had been trying to compile a collection of my poetry, he, being a published writer among his many artistic talents, encouraged me with breathtaking enthusiasm to finish this book and have the guts to follow through on my dream of self-publishing.  He has also been so very helpful to me in my novel-writing struggles, imparting advice and wisdom that I have eagerly gobbled up.  And not only all that, but he has also become so very dear to me on a deeper level than just fellow writer.  He has seen pretty much my every weirdness, Elven eccentricities included, and gleefully matched it with his own delightful weirdness, left me in helpless tears of laughter, helped me through tears of depression, and has never once made me feel like I fall short somehow. 
Matt, you're the other pea in my very weird pod, the Doctor to my Rose. Time ceases to exist when I'm talking with you or even just thinking about you.  You are the silliest, weirdest, most compassionate and most accepting man I have ever had the privilege of knowing and there's not a thing about you I would want to change.  You are such a beautiful soul and it shines through in all your myriad artistic expressions.  Thank you for encouraging me, thank you for being my muse, and thank you for putting the stars back in my eyes.

~*~

I also want to thank everyone who has encouraged me, read the developing drafts of this book, critiqued my work, and everything in between: my wonderfully talented writer friend and fellow Pagan, Raven Rose; the breathtakingly talented songstress and poetess, Rebecca Hosking; all the people on AllPoetry.com that have seen my poems come out piece by piece and gave their feedback and built up my confidence; my fellow writers in the numerous Poetry groups on Facebook, especially fellow poet, Charles Edward York, who writes some of the most breathtaking romantic poems for his wife that you've ever seen.

Also want to mention and thank all the people -- friends and family -- who have stood by me and my kids and helped us get through a particularly rough past couple of years where my children and I were effectively homeless.  We wouldn't have made it through without their added love and support:  

My fellow Pagan sister, Sondra Petrie; my friend, Nate McCartney, and his unbelievable generosity that would take too long to describe the breadth of; my friend, Boe Slover, who took in me and my kids when we had nowhere else to go; my mom and step-dad, Janet & David Maley, who sacrificed A LOT financially to help me and my kids get through and also rendered much-appreciated moral support; lastly, my former friend, Eric Scott, who was generous enough to let me and my kids stay with him sight unseen. Even though our friendship ultimately did not survive as of recently, he was generous and sweet enough that even sight unseen, when he knew what my kids and I were struggling with, he offered us his roof without question and I will be forever grateful to him for that no matter what.  Thank you, Eric.  Some sacrifices ended up being too much for both of us, but you sacrificed without question, went toe-to-toe against people on our behalf at great risk to yourself.  It was a risky move for both of us, but I'm glad that I was still right about you.  You were the first man I was ever right about being a good man.

Every single person mentioned has been an integral part of my children and I getting through our darkest days yet and why I was able to bring this, my first book ever, to birth. I will never forget and never cease being grateful.

Dear Reader:

I have been dreaming of putting together a collection of poems to publish for years now. And if you're reading this, I appreciate the hell out of you.

I'm not gonna lie to you: Some of my earlier poems, in my honest opinion, suck. I've never gotten to take a creative writing class or anything to help me hone my craft. Sometimes I'm not even sure if my current/more recent poems are all that good. But this collection is, for me, a journey. A journey that spans depression and sorrow, crappy relationships, losing "friends" that were no loss at all, and, finally, emerging to the other side to find hope again. Ergo, crappy or not, I've included some of my earlier work that depicts that journey because it has also a been a journey of learning how to express myself through poetry and trying to get better at it. It's also a journey of learning to have faith in myself, to not compare myself to my poetic heroes like Sylvia Plath or Mary Oliver or, a more recent favorite, Amber Tamblyn (to name a few) and, rather, to learn to love my own voice the way it is.  It's a journey of learning to be true to myself and my voice.

Honestly, I don't know if I'll ever win any contests or prizes. I don't know if I will ever be "famous" in the poetry world. As amazing as that would be, that's not what poetry is really about, is it? It's about finding your voice. It's about self-expression. It's about showing your true, raw self even if it's not as eloquent as the poets most celebrated.

So, if you continue to take this glimpse into my journey as it's been thus far, I hope you can enjoy it for what it is even if some of my poems strike you as crappy, immature, or whatever other thoughts run the gamut. I hope that at least one poem speaks to you. If it does, then that's all that matters. If one of my poems make you feel something – happiness, sorrow, hope, or whatever other possibilities – and gives you something you can identify with, then that right there is true success for me, whether I ever become a "famous" poet or not.

Love,

Liriel Luna