'Dearly Beloved'  is a term traditionally associated with Christian wedding ceremonies. In this context it is meant to invite you, the reader, into a relationship with these poems, ideas, feelings and expressions such that we become One. Community is very important to me, and this is a small effort to demonstrate how when we share our stories, we create a context for understanding. That insight creates a bond that is often unbreakable, thus forming a marriage of sorts. This marriage, like many, is not just between two people but the community that grew them, love them and support them. Marriage is a communal event.
 

Specifically, this collection of poetry is written to or for people who have made a way into my mind, heart, and on occasion, body. Some people I know extremely well, while others I have never met.