For over forty years, Dennis Herrell has found his poems by keeping his eyes and ears openand his mouth shut. Mostly. He writes both serious and humorous poems about his life in thiscivilized society. In “Time to Step Up”, instead of haiku, he returns to the usual, familiar formof poetry that most people think of when they hear the word. His readers might also find a dash of irony or humor, a bit of psychology or philosophy, or a twist of structure and phrasing that is all Dennis. All in all, poetry that is enjoyable and worth their time—not something that makes them wince, scratch their heads, and wonder what the darn poem actually means. Dennis trulytries “to step up” every time he writes a poem. Hopefully, his joy and dedication to writing will carry over to his readers.Dennis Herrell was born in St, Clair Shores, Michigan in 1937. Not in a hospital but in theupstairs bedroom of his grandparents, Roy and Alice Smith. In the winter as a boy, Dennis rode the snowy back roads in a toboggan towed by his uncle’s truck, and in a clattering, wind driven ice boat on Lake St. Claire. Those were the days: along with being chased by a mean old rooster in the back yard, and watching the pigeons explode out of the coop in the evening. Dennis was a teacher, a sporting goods wholesaler, a gift/card wholesaler, and antique dealer. He is nowretired. His writing life began in college, and continued off and on during his working years. Dennis lives in Texas, a big, diverse land of desert, mountains, hills and valleys, meadows, prairies, rivers, lakes, and salt water bays and beaches. He calls the almost sub-tropical city of Houston his home. Dennis loves his 1920’s bungalow in the old historical Heights district of Houston, and finds that it is the perfect setting for putting his ideas into poetry.