Sometimes it feels like opening my mouth or writing words down is simply adding to the noise. Listening is in short supply. Quiet is hard to come by. Yet words can and do make a difference — especially soft, gentle words.

I realized that my words were making a difference when my grandma told me that one of my poems helped her to finally understand what her friends had gone through decades before when they had gone through miscarriages. Since then others have also told me that my poems broaden their perspective and make them reconsider the way they see things. Reading my words has even inspired them to write their own; if my poems are making a difference, maybe theirs can too.

All of the poems in this book first appeared digitally, and while that medium is great for ease of distribution, there is something special about reading words from a physical page that you hold in your hand. So with the encouragement of a few faithful readers I have reorganized and edited them into this classic format: a paperback book.