The following pages contain poems written by my mother, Mafalda "Maffy" Medda, over the last twenty-eight years of her life including her oldest poem, "Diamonds and Furs," dating back to 1985. It was her passion to write poetry and her dream to become a published author. When she passed away unexpectedly on February 22, 2013, her poetry was left unfinished. Her dream quickly became my passion. Therefore, I spent the next twenty months after she went to be with the Lord compiling her collection of hand-written poems into this poetry book in order to make her dream become a reality. -Mirka Denise Thomas-Thompson ABOUT THE AUTHOR My name is Mafalda Medda Thomas. My nicknames include: Maffy Thomas, Maffy Tee, and Mafalda Medda. However, when I was growing up, I was lovingly called the little leftover by my parents. When I was born, my mom believed she could no longer have children. When I was born, there became an eleven year difference between me and my youngest sibling. I became the eighth child in my family. My mother had four boys and four girls. The native land of Sardinia that consumed my dreams and caused me heartache as a young child is the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and an autonomous region of Italy. I dont know the reason but God didnt evenly distribute artistic gifts where my family was concerned. He gifted me with the love of learning, the love of the arts, and the love of everything in the artistic field. In school, I had the privilege of being an honor student. Unfortunately, the Medda family lacked the financial ability to provide me with an education beyond the sixth grade. When I reached adulthood, I found myself taking classes due to a desire to learn in many different areas. I always had a passion for learning and a love for knowledge. With still somewhat shaky English skills, the first undertaking to begin my education in English was reading Gone with the Wind. It was a huge challenge on my part but I loved and enjoyed the opportunity to read and comprehend every single page. On September 2, 1989, I had the privilege of being invited to travel to Washington, D.C. in honor of my poem, Creation. In 1997, a more recent composition of mine, A Gift for Jesus, brought tears to my eyes. This poem was printed out on green card stock, was adopted by a local art gallery, and sold successfully during the 1997 Christmas season. My hobbies include poetry, music, reading, oil painting, butterflies, and artistically bettering existing products on the market. I love teaching people from young children and senior adults to my Shih Tzu, Candy. Candy and I participated and won first place in a local dog training contest for a three-part trick where I taught her to sit, beg, and roll over. Mafalda Maffy Medda Thomas 07/26/1998