This poetry collection explores the concept of memory as a function of identity and is based on the ten years or so that I spent living and working in Islamic countries during the 1970s and 1980s. It is an attempt to create a record of a life lived in unfamiliar territories where cultural and social norms are very different from those with which I was brought up. The collection comprises four sections, each having a distinct character, attributable in part to the use of poetic forms chosen to complement specific periods and places. I experimented with haibun, haiku and prose poetry as well as free verse to achieve the desired effect. Themes of memory, place, people and social comment are woven throughout this collection to create a sense of unity within the whole. The accompanying critical essay, 'Writing Mindful of Ghosts', considers the processes involved in such a venture and refers to some of the poets whose work interests and inspires me, as well as offering information on the places and times that informed the poems.