From the author:Death and life are the same thread - they tie us to the Great Unknown, and complete the mobius that is eternity … the only difference - the only element that defines their value - is that just ONE, is permanent. That water flows on as we are brought to bloom and drink of existence, and so does it return to the rill - to trickle and tumble and plunge the depths, and sate the entropic thirst of creation.

This is the cycle of universality, the motion of perpetuity, though it is NOT its definition or analogue. Poetry is the glyphic expression of all that actuality encompasses - the creative endeavor to paint with words upon the canvas of time … how blessed we are to hold that brush.

– Gregory Richard BardenEditor's note:This is Greg's debut collection of poetry. Melancholy Moon was originally the title of a saccharine sweet song sung by American close harmony trio The Andrews Sisters.

The title has been repurposed here for Gregory Richard Barden’s debut collection. Unlike its precursor, Greg’s poetry is anything but saccharine sweet.

Like the song, he deals with affairs of the heart, but he does so in a deeply emotional and imagery-laden style that is boots on the ground rather than walking on air. Greg generates a lot of romantic atmosphere and imagery in his classically style poems, but his poems are laced with realism and down to earth notions rather than candy floss hopes.

There are also free form poems contained herein. All that is Between for example, deftly deals with the curveballs and bruises of life in a beautifully stoic manner.

Whether in sonnets and metred rhyme or in free verse, Gregory Richard Barden has a voice that deserves to be heard, and as you read through this collection you will see exactly why I love his poetry. It is incisively composed and it is achingly beautiful.

- Steve Wheeler (author of Shocks & Stares, Nocturne and RITE)What they said about Melancholy Moon:The words will sing to your soul. – Charlene Phare (Author of Cobalt Skies)Melancholy Moon reads as smooth as a sweet moon shadow.

– Matt Elmore (Author of Constellation Road)Gregory Barden's poetry is a refreshing mix of emotional intent, colorful storytelling, and American experience. His unique voice radiates from "Melancholy Moon" and warms the soul of readers through its well-spun thread of verse.

– Dr Stephen Caldwell (Associate Professor, University of Arkansas)Greg Barden is a gifted poet and weaver of words. "Melancholy Moon" is a heartfelt collection I know you will enjoy.

I sure did! – Mike Metheny (Past editor, JAM Magazine)Melancholy Moon is sure to fill your every poetic desire. – Brandon Adam Haven (author of Into the Grey)Gregory Barden’s poetry captures the heartache and joyous carnal pleasure of love and love’s ever flowing connection to the sea and the heavens in ways that dare us to bare our own souls with the same courage he shows.

Whenever I am blessed with the chance to taste his bittersweet words and haunting memories, I am left with a smile on my lips and flutter in my heart. – Nat Warren-White (author of Slocum’s Wake).