Böcker av S Libellule

I originally grew up in New England and, except for visits to my grandparents' farm in Pennsylvania, I never traveled much as a child. But after I college I had the chance to live abroad in Germany and travel all over Europe. This ignited a wanderlust in me and a desire to see the rest of the world. As of the publishing of this collection of poems, I have visited over 125 countries and all seven continents. One of the things I love to do when I travel is to write poetry. The new places, faces and experiences of my journeys are great sources of inspiration. Each new village can be a poetry prompt. Every new culinary delight helps spur some new attempt to write. I find that my senses are revived, and my sense of awe is invigorated. Given this, I decided to assemble a collection of poems about travel and adventure and titled it "A Gypsy Wind." The poems in this book are about traveling as well as about specific destinations that I have visited. I hope you enjoy joining me on this globetrotting poetic adventure.

Of all the seasons, autumn is by far my favorite. Having grown up in New England, I was blessed with seeing the full glory of fall with all its foliage. The vivid reds, yellows, and burnt oranges set the woods ablaze in color. I always associate the coming of autumn with a return to school, a re-commitment to learning and wisdom. This then makes it a season of the mind. It is also a transition from the warmth of summer to the snowy cold of winter. For me, this an annual reminder of the passage of time and the how death is another year closer. It is always a season of internal reflection about my life and what I hope to do with whatever time I have left.

I have always enjoyed how writing poetry allows me to hide behind the poem and its speaker. Then delve into subjects I would not normally consider and approach life from a very different perspective. By using poetry, I can hide myself from the world, and keep my vulnerabilities safely hidden. This is further supported by my use of a nom de plume, or pen-name. All of this is liberating and helps to channel my creative ink into new and exciting directions. This is why I chose the title "Masque Du Poèm" for the title of my twentieth poetry collection. It is French for "Mask of the Poem" and has a double meaning with masque being both a mask and costume ball or masquerade.

Coffee is an inspiration to many writers, and inspiration for this book was born when author Libellule connected a love of coffee to the long history of coffee houses as places for philosophical debate. These poems span the simple enjoyment of a dark-roast with a splash of cream to the kinds of intellectual battles about the nature of man, the essence of freedom, and purpose of life that have played out in coffee houses for generations. Grab a cup and join the round table. The descriptions and philosophy in this delightful collection of poems are sure to inspire.

When I first toured Alaska many years ago, I visited Denali National Park. The tour guide was a young Athabaskan woman named Jackie (Sadly, I do not remember her last name.) She was so knowledgeable about everything concerning the park: its history, the wide array of different animals, as well as the various flora. During one of the breaks, I asked her about what she did during the harsh winters when the park was closed. Her eyes lit up. She then told me that she loved the Alaskan winters and for her it was a time to hunker down and get away from the world. She was a writer who used the winter as a time to seek solitude and hone her craft. Jackie described winter as "the season of the soul." Ever since that trip I have always looked at winter as a time to turn inward. A chance to engage in deep introspection about life, death and the true meaning of living. While not religious, I am a deeply spiritual person. I do believe in God and the existence of the human soul. For me, we all are more than just our bodies with our brief time here on Earth. Not surprisingly then, one of my recurring themes in my poetry is winter. Having grown up in New England, I remember the long cold winters with their abundant snow. I am an avid skier and snowshoer. Having the chance to get out in the height of winter is one of my favorite things to do. I also take advantage of the slow pace of the season to do much reflection and introspection. Given all of this, I decided to call my sixteenth collection of poetry, "Season of the Soul." This collection includes poems about winter, spirituality, and the search for meaning in life.

Writing for me has always been a way to step away from the chaos of life. It helps me to be able to turn off the noise and capture the thoughts and feelings inside my head. This has been true for me from a very early age. A blank piece of paper and pencil were always my best friends. While nowadays I write using a laptop, the effect remains the same. I chose the title "Poemscapes" for this poetry collection because for me, poetry is its own landscape. A physical place within the margins of the page, with a horizon that spans far beyond all I can see. It can take me back in time, propel me into the future, or zoom in on the immediate now. All of this within the lined confines of a poem.

The title for this, my fifth collection of poetry, is French for "authentic." It is a nod to my French-Canadian heritage. I have come to believe that life has three distinct phases. The first one is figuring out who one is truly is - not who others want us to be, but who the authentic person is inside each of us. The second and more difficult phase is learning to love and accept that authentic self. Finally, one must strive to then live authentically. Many of the poems in this collection attempt to address these challenges of the human condition. They reflect my attempt to live an examined life while being also true to myself.

In this my twelfth book of poetry, I assembled a collection of poems that are on the philosophical side. The title, "Metapoetics" is a fun play on the word "metaphysics" or the fundamental nature of reality. Hence, the poems in this collection have a philosophical flavor to them. Dealing with such themes as time, the meaning of life, the afterlife, and reality itself. My goal is to blend deep philosophical thought with a poetic voice in order to wrestle with these deep mysteries of living an examined life.

Sometimes when writing poetry, usually early in the morning, the words will just seem to come to me. They appear upon the page in whole chunks, as if someone is simply whispering the words into my ear for me to type them out. When this happens, it seems almost magical. In the spirit of this sentiment, I decided to title my eighteenth collection of poetry "Inkantations."