My parents, grandparents and great-grandparents all lived and worked in downtown Jersey City. The area has been called Paulus Hook since Dutch colonial times. I spent my youngest years growing up across town in the Greenville section. Even so, I consider myself a direct descendant of Paulus Hook. My family didn't move out of Jersey City until I was old enough to have experiences and memories stamped onto my soul. Also a part of me are the feelings and emotions that were passed on to me by my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. This collection can be truly sourced to all of them, whether by a Communipaw, Harsimus Cove or McGinley Square lineage. These poems were borne out of Jersey City, just as I was. Life has shown me that, in some ways, I never left.