When I was eight years old, my mother encouraged me to write poetry. Fortunately for all involved, none of those early efforts remain. But I kept at it for the next sixty-five years. After studying poetry and teaching poetry writing at University of Illinois, I just kept writing. And as fulfilling as all that is, I also needed a way to support myself and a family. So I did a lot of things to earn money and still kept writing poetry. My life in poetry is on this site. Click on “Writing Down the Words” and you can hear the title poem of my book of selected poems. If you like the poem, try a couple of others. Like them and you can own the whole book. Just click on the correct buttons. In the book, you can find lobster fishing, gear manufacturing, love, divorce, and family.