This is a gathering of poetry, perception, personal philosophy, residual effects of childhood, dark experiences, and all of life lifting, comforting, and in spite of it all, managing to survive and grow, honoring the names and quotes of those I hold in great regard. I appreciate every animal companion; they all saved me. Many survivors of violence turn to animals, for after that sledgehammer of reality, that appreciative presence is remarkable. You, reading these words, feeling the midnight fear, the fragrance of the flowers in the depth of my psyche, I dedicate it all to you.