It's Not So Simple Now

“These poems were first written from many different places, different views outside windows, different earth underfoot. Most are from the East Coast of Canada: Mahone Bay, where I have lived longest, Lunenburg, Guysborough, Cape Breton. Others further afield: Montreal, Ottawa, Banff, British Columbia, beloved Baffin Island. Some a touch exotic: Lancashire, Edinburgh, even distant Indonesia. The journey, across South, North, West and finally East has not been aimless. It was always intended to bring me here, by the ocean. I was born by the sea on Prince Edward Island. My mother was born by the Irish Sea. My great-grandfather crossed the ocean arriving here from Russia. When I was young, my father shared poetry with me, including the work of the Russian poet, Yevtushenko. I’ve shared my poetry with many people since then as I am sharing them now with you, my reader. Thank you for coming on this little voyage.”

In this collection of poems the author takes us on a journey through personal relationships and internal struggles. Love is central to this travelling – the joy of love and the challenge of sustaining it – the pain only love can deliver – and ultimately the loss and grief when loved ones depart. Sixty poems are divided into four directions: Southbound, Northbound, Westbound and Eastbound – warmth and happiness, ice and depression, being lost and finding home. The author’s considerable travels are enunciated – within the Maritimes, Western Canada, Nunavut, and abroad to the UK and Indonesia – giving colour to the experience associated with each.

Through a variety of styles, the author’s voice emerges with passion and sometimes with humour. The speaking voice is direct and often conversational. Many of the poems are spoken to particular individuals, bringing the reader into honest, revealing conversations that arise from being completely inside a moment.