Author Description

Our mother's father, Edward Gaines (nee Ginn), had written several poems between the 1920s and 1940s that chronicled his dreams, hopes, and fears. They would all have been lost except for our mother's penchant for preserving family mementos. She rescued them, lovingly transcribed them onto old onionskin paper, and tucked them away with all the other family keepsakes. It was not until after her death in 2014 that my sister and I discovered one of the most jaw dropping and treasured finds among all of her possessions--his poems! As his granddaughters, we had no idea we shared the gift of writing with him. He had always been a somber, taciturn man not given to overt expression of any kind except to snap at us to "cut out that racket" when, as little children, we were too rambunctious. We are very grateful to our mother for being the "keeper of the flame." This book showcases our grandfather's poetry along with mine and my sister's poetic musings and sketches. It is our way to pay tribute to them. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did putting it together.