Recognizing the power of the word as an instrument to promote and protect democracy, as well as our moral responsibility to promote and protect literacy and moral rectitude, in accordance and support of our most precious Constitution, we pledge that we, the undersigned, as citizens of these United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common Defense, promote the General Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, swear to promote and protect what has been ordained and established as our Constitution for the United States of America, and as such, offer proof of our witness to the power of the word through the offerings of our work, in order to not only document for all conscious souls to experience, but leave an ongoing legacy, for our actions are the actions of the future, and as such, recognize this moment as sacred for the next seven generations. During a thirteen month period reading their work, thirty-three Hudson River Poets contributed to make this anthology: Dennis Agostine, Abigail Ashley, Clayton Buchanan, Sharon Butler-Lewis, Terence Chiesa, Stephen Coyle, Jim Eve, William Y. Fellenberg, Ed Fisher, Christopher P. Gazeent, Ted Gill, Michael Glassman, Ron Gonzales, Roberta Gould, Bill Greenfield, Harvey Greenwald, Jane Harries, Mike Jurkovic, Jared Levine, Robert Milby, Lilly Norton, Lou O'Neil, Robert Phelps, Magdalen Radovich, Mario Ramsey, Michael Rose, AnnMarie Roselli, Douglas taylor, Mona Toscano, Lawson Upchurch, Hayden Wayne, Walter Worden.