You will be the sole judge regarding the quality of the material contained within this book. It is my hope that some, if not all (that might be too much to hope for), of these writings will touch something within you. That it might bring a smile, or awaken a long-forgotten memory of what it is (or was) like to be young, and passionate, and full of angst. I have lived long enough at this point to know that we, as humans, share many things in common when it comes to fears, passions, and existential questions. The poetry in this book was written while I was in high school or during my undergraduate experience; between the ages of 16 and 23. Hence the second part of the title Poetry from the Early Years. That would put the time-period between approximately 1965 and 1972. For the younger readers, those were very interesting years. President Kennedy had recently been assassinated; the Vietnam war was gearing up and the action, including casualties, was showing up regularly on television; the universal draft into the armed forces for all young men at age 18 was changed to a lottery system; and no male of draft age felt safe from being called into the war. I was lucky enough to have an educational deferment from the draft because of my college enrollment. I felt obligated to serve so I joined the National Guard and served in that capacity during the college years. I graduated college in May of 1972 and in October of the same year, I was called to active duty in an Army artillery unit. As the above section implies, I have had this material for many years. I have had a few pieces published in the past, none of those are included in this volume. As in the included poem entitled The Recluse, it occurred to me that if I continued to keep these without putting them out for others to see, they would likely end up never being read and no one would know they were ever written. So, I fight back my fear that no one will like them and provide them, not because I believe they are so great that people will flock to purchase the book, but because I feel a personal need to share them with others in hopes that some of them may touch, or inspire, or empower others to present their own materials. Some of this material, for example, The Recluse, and The Blackbird, are based on actual people and events. The individual in The Recluse was a distant relative who lived by himself. I have been in the house described and I knew him when I was much younger. He would come walking out of the woods to visit while we were working in the fields and it seemed he always timed his arrival to coincide with lunch that was being prepared for the farm laborers, of which I was one. The old man in The Blackbird lived near me when I was a child. I did not know him but he did hire me, as described in the piece, and I certainly regretted having accepted his offer. It was a valuable lesson to me about the sanctity of living things. There are things in life that we do because it seems like such a good idea at the time and then deeply regret. When that happens, as it inevitably will at some point, the best we can hope for is that we learn something that will help guide us through the rest of our lives. If you relate to any of this material, or if it touches you in some way, or you simply feel a like-mindedness, please take the time to leave feedback on Amazon. If there is enough support I will consider releasing more from other periods. If not, at least I took the chance in sharing.
About the Author: D. G. Underwood is a recently retired professor and higher education administrator. Although his degrees are in educational psychology and counseling, he has always had a fondness for poetry and wrote prolifically; particularly during his undergraduate years. This is the first time he has put together a sampling of his writing to share with the public. His greatest hope for this publication is that some of it will resonate with the readers and help them better appreciate, life, love and all that lies between. If you find meaning, solace, or like-mindedness in any of this work, please take the time to share on Amazon. If enough people can relate positively to this collection, more work from other periods may be released.