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Have I spoken lately about the fickleness of life? Okay, well, have I spoken of it this month? John Baillie, the author of the above title (to be released worldwide on September 1st) will be my point of reference on the subject of mutability today. And the reason for this is, simply put, that this latest collection of poems by the author could just as well have been published posthumously. But, thank God or the universe or life such as it is, John is still here. Alive . . . and willing to share the words of his in-between time with those willing to hear them.
When a misdiagnosis found him living a barely-conscious life, John grabbed his pen and paper and wrote down his experiences through a series of mostly narrative poems. His amazing ability to still be able to connect with his world through the gift of imagination and creativity saw him through the final diagnosis and finally, to life, again.
In Destination Mutable, the author describes the threads that held him somewhat loosely between two states. We hear the poet questioning the importance of words themselves, all the while aware that they are his all-important link. Baillie examines hope and love, though at times these appear to be lying just outside of his reach. His mound of poems on beauty were a surprise for this reader, that he should hold true to it while questioning everything else in his life.
Have I spoken lately about the fickleness of life? Okay, well, have I spoken of it this month? John Baillie, the author of the above title (to be released worldwide on September 1st) will be my point of reference on the subject of mutability today. And the reason for this is, simply put, that this latest collection of poems by the author could just as well have been published posthumously. But, thank God or the universe or life such as it is, John is still here. Alive . . . and willing to share the words of his in-between time with those willing to hear them.
When a misdiagnosis found him living a barely-conscious life, John grabbed his pen and paper and wrote down his experiences through a series of mostly narrative poems. His amazing ability to still be able to connect with his world through the gift of imagination and creativity saw him through the final diagnosis and finally, to life, again.
In Destination Mutable, the author describes the threads that held him somewhat loosely between two states. We hear the poet questioning the importance of words themselves, all the while aware that they are his all-important link. Baillie examines hope and love, though at times these appear to be lying just outside of his reach. His mound of poems on beauty were a surprise for this reader, that he should hold true to it while questioning everything else in his life.
Destination Mutable can be ordered today on Amazon.ca, or through various other locations globally. John will be officially launching his book in early October, where I (indeed a truly humbled and honoured guest) will be sharing some of my poetry also. I will be providing those details, ici, in the near future.
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