Poetry is far more than it seems. Writing verse can provide a creative shorthand for working through dark thoughts, making sense of your emotions and behaviours, as well as those of others. Poetry offers a way to navigate the tangled maze of challenges, strife, and joys that constitute our inner worlds. It can also magnify life's wonders, awe, and delight. These varied experiences – regret, mistakes, learning, stumbling, and persevering with bravery – all comprise a life fully lived. Writing poetry helps minimize the bad times and spotlight the good. Revisiting these poems allows for deeper reflection, enriching your life further. Secrets, Lies and Little Joys contains a sampling of my own poems and experiences, along with contextual commentary. In some cases, I provide explanation of the impetus behind the verse. It is my hope these poems find a shared recognition, a communal understanding that you are not alone, mad, or bad in your travels through life.