Dear Reader,

I've decided to release this in memory of a friend who died recently. He was the kindest and gentlest of men. I will always be grateful that our paths crossed. He died suddenly, his work left unfinished. So, I'm quoting this poem of Keats' in his memory:

When I have Fears that I may Cease to Be

When I have fears that I may cease to be
Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain,
Before high-piled books, in charactery,
Hold like rich garners the full ripen'd grain;
When I behold, upon the night's starr'd face,
Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,
And think that I may never live to trace
Their shadows, with the magic hand of chance;
And when I feel, fair creature of an hour,
That I shall never look upon thee more,
Never have relish in the faery power
Of unreflecting love;--then on the shore
Of the wide world I stand alone, and think
Till love and fame to nothingness do sink.

A few years ago, I happened to run into my old friend at Perimeter Mall so I released the book there where I had memories of him. I left it on a bench overlooking the green space in front of Bloomingdales.

Great book. I'm not a huge poetry fan but have always wanted to know more about John Keats - the introduction about his life is especially interesting.

Of note, the main reason I picked up the book after seeing it in the mall was because of the touching dedication written inside by Cordelia-anne to Ralph.

I'm going to San Francisco in a few weeks and plan to release the book to the world there, for the next person to take it along it's journey.

I found this book several weeks ago in the Japanese Tea garden in Golden Gate Park. I enjoyed reading the poems although I'm not a huge poetry fan either. I've been thinking of a place to leave this and finally decided today. My mother passed away 5 years ago yesterday during Hurricane Katrina and thumbing through the pages again today made me think of her more. I plan to release it in a beautiful Rose Garden that she would love to see.