Poems and Sea Stories

About the Book

Taking readers aboard a ship of memories, author James B. Rudd relives his unforgettable days as a U.S. Navy Officer and offers some poignant insight in a book released through Xlibris. Poems and Sea Stories is a highly moving collection of literary pieces that reminds of days past and celebrates the treasure of living life today. Penning down over 50 pieces of riveting poetry and short stories, Rudd taps the corners of his mind to relive memories of his adventures. Through rhyme and rhythm, he compels readers to ponder life, to appreciate nature, and to be grateful about today´s rewards. This unique anthology is divided into four parts, each of which deals with a different facet of life. The poem "Mimosa" speaks of a young love that has faded yet never forgotten through time. Deeply melancholic, "The Dead Tree" is about the beauty that can be seen in the absence of it. "The Australian Destroyer Captain" is a witty short story of the author´s unforgettable encounter with a ship captain. Several of the poems, "Gravity", "Conventions of War", "The Parade of Duty", and "Coming Home" offer perspectives born out of the author´s personal experience of war. Thought provoking and often humorous, Poems and Sea Stories is a special collection that will never fail to entertain, comfort, and inspire both young and the young at heart.

About the Author

THE LONG AND WINDING TALE OF JAMES B. RUDD I was raised on a small farm in Oklahoma. I graduated from Oklahoma University then became a US Navy Officer. I spent two years in combat in Vietnam, followed by a year of shore duty in the Philippines. Then I went to Naples Italy and was a Special Intelligence Analyst and aide to the Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces Southern Europe. After leaving the Navy I got a Masters degree in International Business. I traveled to more than forty countries over the next decade and was the president of an international company. I left the business world, obtained a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology, and did counseling for a few years. I am now retired in a little house in the woods in Roanoke, Virginia with three spoiled shelter dogs who keep me busy.