A Letter to A Muse is a collection of poetry which was written almost entirely in the Fall of 2002, as a letter of introduction to poet and writer I hold in high esteem.

There are 222 illustrated poems in this volume. Half are originals created solely by the author. The vast majority were written between August and December of 2002.

The subsequent half of the book consists of entries inspired by other poet's celebrated work. Some are purposeful parodies, others playful parities—all serious inquisition and introspection. The vast majority of these poems were written in response to the reading of the other poem, and a scant few simply thematically matched previously written work. There were 100 referenced works in all.

BONUS: In addition to the 222 poems that make up the original concept of the book, there are also 27 other extra poems that have never been made public before.

I have noted the source of inspiration for the poems of part two at the bottom left-hand corner of each poem. If my poem was composed subsequent to reading someone else’s poem the footnote is written as “afflatus (divine inspiration): title of poem, author.” However, if my poem was written before, and I found there simply to be a significant similarity that subsequently merited a comparison, than the notation begins “arcades ambo (of the same ilk): title of poem, author.” The poems are in alphabetical order by title.

As a clarification, I would like to note that these are not meant to be antiphonies, for they are not direct responses to verse. With the exception of poem 222, there is no attempt to imagine a dialogue with either the poet or the original poem.

I would like to acknowledge all the muses past, present and future who inspire my work, life herself being the most giving one. I am forever grateful.

"Much of life becomes background, but it is the province of art to throw buckets of light into the shadows and make life new again."
A Natural History of the Senses, Diane Ackerman