Welcome to my homepages!  
I'm delighted to have you here.  Stay as long as you like.    
I hope I may touch your mind and your heart with my
poetry in some small way.

About the Poet:

I find writing about myself like this the height 
of awkwardness! I would much rather you get to know me 
by reading my poetry.  But I will give you a bit of 
background, which may, or may not, clarify the poems you 
read on the other pages.

I was born on the Epiphany (The year is not important;
I hope you'll forgive this small vanity!) in Los 
Angeles, California, and have discovered that the 
journey through life is, indeed, an epiphany!  I have spent 
most of my life as an Army Brat and Army wife and consider
the world my home.  My favorite place of all was 
my Grandfather's ranch in southern California.  The ranch 
is gone now, but my memories of its beauty and variety 
are just as crisp and bright today as were the summer 
days of my childhood and teens spent there.

You may wonder where my screen name/email name, 
Ciociosan, originated.  I spent the early part of 
my life in Sasabo, Japan, and later graduated from High 
School in Okinawa, Ruyuku Islands, before it became 
part of Japan.  My father claimed I was like a bright 
butterfly as a child, lighting on a lap for a quick hug 
and flitting off to pursue whatever caught my attention 
next.  He dubbed me "Ciociosan", Little Butterfly in 
Japanese, and it became his private name for me, even 
when I reached womanhood and no longer quite fit 
the name.

I attended Western Carolina University for two years, 
where I majored in creative writing and English.  
Discovering that, once you have the mechanics of writing 
down pat, no one can actually teach you to be a 
good writer----that takes years and years of 
practice and thousands of rejection slips----I opted 
to pursue a different degree in my second most-favorite 
subject:  people.  I graduated, magna cum laude, from 
North Carolina State University in 1977 with a BA 
in Sociology.  My plans, to continue in the field 
and become a juvenile counselor, were subverted by 
the responsibilities of wife- and motherhood.
Luckily, one can write anywhere and under almost
any circumstances; so I have pursued that instead.

My poetry has been published in various small 
press magazines, like "Undinal Songs", "The Nomad", 
and "The Windhover", to name a few.  I was 
fortunate enough to be a contributor to a chapbook, 
entitled "From the Viscera", a group effort published 
under the auspices of one of North Carolina's Poet 
Laureates, Lance Jeffers.

I also, for a short while, wrote a humor column 
for "The Stars and Stripes, European Edition".  
My column centered on Army family-life and raising 
children, and poked fun at my husband and myself and our 
own little Army Brats.  When asked why I didn't pursue 
writing newspaper columns further, I have to reply, 
"My material grew up!"  I went through three toddlers, 
just trying to get one right.  My children were 
(and are) my inspiration and my joy and the source of 
many years of laughter.  I do not dwell on tears or 
hardships, though we have had our share.

Oscar Wilde once said "Life is too important to 
be taken seriously."  I have tried to keep this as 
my motto.  You may find some of my poems dark and 
brooding, but I have "dumped" that side of me there; 
so I can pursue laughter and light in the rest of my life.

I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance.  
I hope you will sign the guestbook on my main page 
and let me get to know a little about you.

May all you dream come to you,
Kathie/Ciociosan

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for visiting my site! Please sign the guestbook on the Main Page.