20 Sunsets
"20 Sunsets" was another dedication poetry collection I put together in memory of my first husband, Jim Adams, who died tragically in a car accident in 1982 on Pacific Coast Highway returning home after a quick trip to the store. For the 16 years that followed his parting I had written a poem or two each year up till Aug 1998. The chapbook had a deadline to be printed on what would be his 39th birthday.
I suppose I could have waited till it was 20 years so it would truly be 20 annual sunsets from that faithful day. But it seemed too long to wait another 4 years carrying that weight. I had made it a goal, prior to 1998, to finish "20 Sunsets" but first I had to release "Snow Fox" as promised. Both chapbooks had to be released in 1998.
What I didn't know, at the time I made that goal, was that 1998 would prove to be a particularly challenging year. That year I had loss my father to AIDS in April and a close friend, Mick, who died in a car accident in May. I release 'Snow Fox" in April just days before my father died. "20 Sunsets" was a bit rushed in between the work, school, and dealing with the recent losses. The cover of the book was not even designed as well as I would have liked and some of the poems were off centered. What mattered was I get it in print by August 24th 1998. That my friends I did accomplish. Here is a sample poem from that touching collection.