"The Voyage of Cultivation" presents a collection of Derrick Sumral's writings, dating as far back as a poetry assignment in the sixth grade. He took his love for words and for life and expressed it through poetry. Derrick's writing became the stage upon which his mind was free to express itself without the fear of being ridiculed or misunderstood. Wearing his heart in his pen, Derrick openly expresses his emotions and feelings regarding a wide variety of everyday experiences as they affect him. With vivid descriptions, colorful imagery, and witty wordplay, he matures and cultivates his true feelings as he faces life's challenges. He embraces his accomplishments such as graduations and being a loving father, and confronts the challenges presented by divorce, abortion, adultery, abandonment, and loneliness. "The Voyage of Cultivation" explores a young man's life, taking him on an endless journey of emotional reevaluation. "Love? Does love make beauty appear better than it seems? Or does love bring you more pleasure from your reality than it does from your dreams? Honestly, there is no true explanation of love, but at any given moment that I hear the word, you're the only person that I am thinking of."