The Covid-19 pandemic inspired me to write my first book of poetry, works of related prose, and a few prayers. Poetry is often born during hard times as it is a way for us to express our grief about what is occurring while reaching out to others feeling the same way.

The pandemic, which caused everyone to suffer, was the beginning of my attempt to write a book of poetry that would touch other people and perhaps help them to feel less alone during a terrible time. During the pandemic, Russia's war on Ukraine began, and this inspired me to write about the horror of war.

Political strife in the US was also on my mind when working on this book. Ongoing environmental catastrophes in the last few years also sparked my interest in writing poems.

Growing old is another difficult issue we all must confront at some point. This was a fourth painful topic that could be best expressed through poetry, I felt.

There are a few hopeful poems among this collection and they are together in this book under the title Daily Living. As it is daily living, it's not all joy here either.

If you are looking for a book of poems to boost your mood, this book is not for you. However, if you are searching for poems that speak to your concerns about war, environmental problems, pollical strife, pandemics or growing old, this is definitely for you.

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