Bliss and All That Bleeds From it

Writing poetry has always been an enjoyable experience. Even if the topic is a painful one I breathe a sigh of relief as I pick up my pen. Sometimes the words leap onto the paper with joy and sometimes they wiggle and weave as they are teased into the story. But it is always a journey with an unknown destination.

So much of life has been a mystery to me. Teachers and books only tell half the story. There is also the practical application of 'your life' to 'the life'. This is where the best of academia can get weird on you. Poetry has been my favourite way of making sense of confusion. It may not provide instant results but no effort is wasted. Understanding often comes later and gently releases me from my bondage of ignorance.

Narrating my poetry was deeply satisfying. I had experimented with it before and liked how I was able to make my poems more personal. As I am a singer/songwriter I have had plenty of experience working with my voice. In this case there was no music to hide behind. Every syllable counts. My recording conditions were challenging. I have the Eastern version of a shed at the end of my garden; a kobo built out of bamboo and leaves with no soundproofing, so any sound would find its way onto the recording. It meant working in the middle of the night when most living creatures are asleep. A narrow time slot was offered to me between the end of the frog courting session and the beginning of the cocks and dogs morning chorus; approximately three hours. It took eight months to complete.

This collection of poems is a selection from a larger body of work. I have chosen poems with no real criteria but simply because they feel they belong together. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.