Reflections

That broken old buggy down by the well
If it could talk it would have a story to tell
Of horses and sleighs and bygone days
Pull up a stump and hear what it says.

Reflections is a collection of rhyming poetry that shares a snapshot of a life that may soon be a thing of the past: that of an old-school rancher in the interior of British Columbia. The poems provide a reflective window into how life was lived on a farm, and the struggles and joys of that life. Steeped in the honest language of someone who lived these experiences from 1932 through to 2023, the poems invite readers to explore a world that may be entirely new to them, and to find the connections between themselves and these universal themes. It is a love letter to life on the ranch, and to the tight family connections that made that life a thing of beauty.

This collection has been posthumously published by the poet’s daughter, Rosemary Kanigan, who found over sixty poems in her father’s closet after his death. She always believed her father had the intention of sharing his poems, but at ninety years of age he either didn't have the drive, or didn't know how to go about it. She brought this book to life in his memory, and to share his memories with the world.