I Wonder When You Knew is a collection of poems, prose, song lyrics, and other writings collected from my high school days through the present time. They describe my experiences, perceptions, and philosophy of love and life. Half of the entries are autobiographical, the others fictional. These writings reflect my own adventures interacting with those people, places, and things that I have loved in my life. I hope that those who listen to these words share some of the same feelings that I have had.

Many of these entries came from the journals I kept during my teens and 20s. The most prolific times for writing in my diary were when I was in falling in love or losing someone that I loved. I have many pages of prose from those times that I wanted to share, plus other observations only the wisdom of age can bring.

Being a book about love and contemplation of life, there is no fact checking, and no correct or incorrect answers. Each person feels in their heart what is true. What is valid for me may not be the same for you. You may agree or disagree with what I have written here; that is your right. The words in this book are one man’s perceptions, assumptions, and conclusions. But hopefully, I will stir something inside you, deep within your soul, make you pause and remember someone, or a feeling that you once had, or an emotion that continues to linger years later. I am not a Gibran or de Saint-Exupéry, but I would be happy if merely one person discovers something that causes a resonance in their heart from reading my words.

For me, a hopeless romantic, I never let go of the passion, the affection, and the desires of life. My wish is that you, too, are able to experience at least a small portion of the happiness and joy that this world has brought to me.

-Robert Edward Kaminski