i wrote several serious, satirical and whimsical poems after my graduation from college in 1972. soon after that i experienced the onset of a major mental illness, and since then my writing has largely come out of or been in response to my illness. my poetry is in free verse, and i have also written a number of short op/ed pieces on mental illness, prison and law reform, recovery and spirituality. much of my poetry is grounded in a spiritual context.