Thinking at 3 AM: Selected new poems by Gerald T. Perkoff

The house is quiet at 3 AM, no creaking, no sound except for the small bells that always ring in my ear. It is as though the house and kitchen and floor and chair are there only as a cocoon for my thinking. An old man's thoughts do not lack consistency. As man for eons has seen himself the keeper, so do I still take on the role of provider and protector... The poems in Thinking at 3 AM are tender, poignant, and frank expressions of the emotions of aging and the last phases of life. They also deal with the continuing love of a long and successful marriage, with serious illness that led to a near-death experience, with commitment to family, children, and grandchildren, as well as with diverse topics that always seem to express themselves in a poet's mind and pen. In contrast to the poems about aging, one long autobiographical poem describes the poet's childhood and young adulthood, and contains stories and incidents one hopes one's heirs will know and remember. These poems reflect the author's deepest feelings, remembering life, loss, and the glorious world that he lives in every day. There is a knowing that resides in each of them, inviting the reader along for the ride on the poet's life journey.