All of these poems have appeared in magazines and anthologies published between 2001 and 2011. Although I did produce an earlier, less inclusive edition of Out Of The Walled Garden a few years ago, this new edition includes all of my previously published pieces.
I've largely neglected these poems for the last decade. After the death of my late wife, Karen, in 2010, I lost the heart to continue working in this vein, but now, putting this collection together properly, I've finally found a little of that lost enthusiasm.
As I've worked through each piece, I've also put together some brief notes about the background or thoughts associated with the poem, and I think that this jogging of old memories is important. Over time we lose sight of the people that we once were, traveling further from our source, leaving a trail that slowly becomes overgrown with the weeds of forgetfulness, and we should, I think, try to keep our paths clear so that we can, if we choose to, retrace a few of our steps.
Over the summer I edited a memoir that my father wrote before memory loss took its toll on his abilities, and I wonder, perhaps, if that has made me feel a little nostalgic. If that is the case, then I'm glad of it. It's been good to reminisce and revisit old thoughts. Some of these thoughts and memories are, of course, painful, but in working on these poems I think that some of those sharper points have become a little duller.
It's actually been fun, and I'm all for that.
