The poems in this collection are personal and honest and yet universal in the way lives are examined. Many of the poems describe childhood, growing up in a small town, and giving new life to those who have gone before. The poet writes about aging and the reality of death. This work is an examination of a life well lived. Teresa McLamb Blackmon grew up in the small town of Benson, in eastern North Carolina. Her mother was a 3rd grade teacher, and her father was a farmer and livestock contractor for rodeos in North Carolina and surrounding states. Her childhood was spent on Parrish Drive, a place from which many memories are treasured. Friends in the neighborhood lived close and every one of them still holds a special place in Blackmon's heart. Blackmon attended South Johnston High School and taught there for her first few years of teaching. She attended NCSU in Raleigh, Campbell University in Buies Creek, and NCCU in Durham. Her degrees include a BA in English Education, an MA in English and an MLS. After receiving her BA in English education, Blackmon began teaching at her alma mater, South Johnston High. She left the classroom to return to NCSU and received her MA in English. Returning to Johnston County, she moved to Smithfield-Selma High School where she taught English and Journalism. She oversaw the school's newspaper, creative writing journal, and yearbook. She retired after serving as the media coordinator at Four Oaks Middle School. Blackmon married Sexton Gerald Blackmon in 1993. He died in 2011. They enjoyed living on the family farm, raising and rescuing animals. Living with her now is a miniature dachshund named Tia and three donkeys, Joe, Grace, and Elliot. She has three stepchildren and three step-grandchildren. Teresa Blackmon began writing poetry in the 7th grade, buoyed on by the then-popular Rod McKuen. While working on her MA in English, she was introduced to poets Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton. In addition to poetry, Blackmon was passionate about the period of Realism and Nationalism in American literature. Her favorite authors are Mark Twain (and adamant that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the greatest American novel), Nathaniel Hawthorne, F. Scott Fitzgerald and John Irving. Now retired, Blackmon is a member of the North Carolina Writer's Network, Secretary of the Benson Foundation for the Arts and co-manager of The Southern Exposure Book Club in Benson. She has published two books of poetry, Daddy Said and Cast of Characters.