There are elements of ancient mythology all around us. The poems in this book are based on experiences in my life that brought these classical myths to life for me. In the poem Medusa ( in classical mythology she had snakes on her head instead of hair and her look could turn one to stone) I was writing about an encounter I had with a homeless woman. The combination of fierce anger and sadness in the look that she gave me, as I was walking down the street near her was so intense in its impact that I felt as if I had been turned to stone by it. Pan (the playful and seductive satyr) I discovered playing his intoxicating sax in a jazz club in downtown San Francisco. Anyone who has ever braved the stormy seas of Internet dating can relate to the cyber-romance theme of Narcissus. It was, of course, out of human emotions and experiences that the ancients  first created these myths. My purpose in writing this book is to reveal that these “larger than life” gods and goddess are in fact very human and more familiar to us than we realize. Not only are these myths alive and well on the streets of our cities and neighborhoods, but they can sometimes look back at us from the mirror. There is a bit of this “larger than life” aspect in all of us and in the world around us. It is my belief that with this awareness we can transform the mundane into the profound, and the everyday into something quite magical, if only we have the imagination to embrace our mythical roots.