A BOOK OF POETRY

About the Book

This book comprises of six chapters, categorized by years, beginning with 1965. From January 1970 through February 1971, there were no poems written. And, December 1971 through January 2000, the only poems I wrote were for Darlene, my wife. Most all of them, she kept. This young lady, I was truly and deeply in love with. She passed away in 1998. Here, again, between January 1998 and through January 2000, I wrote nothing.

About the Author

Jerry Nodine was born in Lake Preston, South Dakota. At the age of three, his parents (thankfully) relocated to a quiet neighborhood in North Portland, Oregon, where he spent his youth. He could be found fishing, riding bikes with friends, and spending time with his family. He was also very opinionated as a boy, and commonly corrected mistakes he found in text books. In 1969, after high school, he was drafted into the Vietnam War. After two years of service, he returned home to marry the love of his life, Darlene, whom he had met five years earlier. They spent 26 wonderful years together, during which they had two children, named Samantha and Vincent. His wife passed away in February of 1998, before she could meet their four beautiful grandchildren, whom he is very proud of. The same year he returned from the war, he started a career in marine construction. He started out as a deck hand, and three years later, worked his way up to becoming a crane operator. He loved his job, and spent thirty two years sailing on the rivers of the Pacific Northwest. These rivers included The Snake, The Columbia, and The Willamette. During his last few years on the river, he moved around quite a bit, making many friends along the way, until he retired in 2005. He now lives in a Vancouver, WA, where he enjoys writing poetry and novels, playing croquet, and spending time with family and friends.