I Believe in the Healing Power of Poetry

As a child growing up in the hills that surround Tyrone, Pennsylvania, I spent many happy days exploring the riverbank behind my home. My friends there, plants and animals, consoled me through the heartaches, and celebrated with me the accomplishments of growing up. In return for all their kindnesses, I wrote them thank you notes in child's rhyme. These were my earliest lessons in writing poems that could heal my wounds and bless my heart.