The book, Scratchpad Ponderings: A Collection of Poems, had its beginning with jottings on a scratchpad. The writer would view a scene, hear a sound, listen to a story, or visit a favorite place and while pondering what had been experienced would write an impression of the event on an always handy scratchpad. Later while thinking of the experience, he would compose rhyming lines that became the direction of the resulting poem. One such finished poem was inspired on a beautiful autumn day while raking leaves. Remembering long forgotten days of childhood and the wonder of autumn, he wrote thoughts that became “Against Raking Leaves.” “Seaside Dawn” began as a thought while visiting a favorite beach and rising early to view the sunrise. It is the author’s hope that these simple poem-ponderings will stir your memory and bring you inspiration.