I published my first booklet of poems Noon Moon Days in 1969 (age 19) after I had turned on,
tuned in and dropped out. I figured if Walt Whitman, Mark Twain, Allen Ginsberg and other great
American writers could self-publish, I could too. I sold my poems in Berkeley and San Francisco
("Hey, real San Francisco beat poetry right here!"). I published two other poem booklets during
this fertile period of my life, as well as a larger collection, and a short one-man, one-act play, all
included herein. The poem booklets sold for a dollar but see, my room rent was only $35 a
month. That's what an expensive, exclusive prep school education in Manhattan could do for
your kid in the '60s.
.
Everybody has some boxes of old nostalgia somewhere in storage, right? I looked through
one of my boxes and I decided to publish these poems because I think they still hold up.
OK, some of them are juvenile, rebellious, and weird. But remember that youth is about self-
discovery, ideals and betrayal. Have you forgotten? Ha, maybe this collection will bring a
smile to your face and spark some memories of your own youthful and creative moments.
