I never attempted to invent a new method for writing poetry, but I intentionally walked through all the paths leading to the poem and poetry, especially in these two collections: 1- Exit from the Mirror (first published in 1997 by the Literary Club in Riyadh). 2- Interventions (first published at the beginning of 1999 by Palm Publications Foundation). I have combined them in this new edition, published by Dar Al Farabi in Beirut, as they constitute a single experience that flowed mostly in the mid-nineties before taking their stable form in my other collections. I tried to extract some lines from many articles, studies, and readings that discussed these two collections, but - amusingly and regretfully - I kept most of those materials as photocopies sent to me by fax (due to the difficulty of moving Arab publications at the time!). I was surprised now that a dozen years have turned the soft carbon fax paper into pitch black! So, I settled here for excerpts from what I found preserved in their sources, except for the article by Dr. Ghazi Al-Qusaibi, which I included in full, for its special value I needed at that stage, and because it was short and expressive. I cherish all the writings that addressed these collections in their first editions and appreciate all that will result from this new edition that includes both collections in one book. Faisal Akram April 2009