Guest Post by P.J. Reed
I would like to thank Dedra for inviting me to write about my poetry books on her lovely website. I am a multi-genre author and poet, which means I write on most topics. In this blog, I would like to share my love of poetry with you.
P.J. Reed – Author
When I was young I lived in a town on the edge of London which was basically a grey, concrete cityscape. It was dull, and the trees were small, their leaves a lighter green. However, my life changed completely when I was 20 and my family relocated to the southwest corner of England to the seascapes, countryside, and moorland of Devon.
It was a writing catalyst for me.
My first poems were very much nature-based exploring the beauty of nature in Devon, heavily influenced by the nature writing of the eighteenth-century romantic poets and based on hours of just sitting silently watching nature with no manmade distractions.
One of the first poems I had published was, ‘Under Broken Skies’ and was based on the woods around Witheridge, a tiny village in the deepest Devonian countryside and was a celebration of the ageless path of nature.
I then became acquainted with, haiku which is a much more simplistic view of nature poetry. It is nature-based poetry with a strict symbol and line count of 5 syllables in the first line, 7 in the next, and then five in the 3rd line. The beauty of haiku is that like nature itself it needs no adorations to crate its simple beauty.
I have now had 6 collections of poetry published and the rest is history!
At present, I am compiling a collection of books based on the different seasons in Devon and how nature responds to the seasons and changes constantly throughout the year.
Haiku Yellow explores the excitement and drama as the yellow of springtime bursts through the bleakness of winter throughout the Devon countryside. The world in springtime is a joyful place full of possibilities and hope. A world reborn and clothed in yellow springtime glory-
the earth is springing
sheep sing a woolly chorus
bird songs are soaring
Haiku Yellow is available from Amazon and all good bookshops.
Haiku Sun is the summer part of my series of haiku books exploring the different seasons and looking at how they affect the hedgerows, plants, and animals which inhabit the beautiful Devon countryside. Haiku Sun is a celebration of summer. Summer is a paradox. While its gentle heat encourages life, too much sun can destroy it. This collection of haiku explores the summer, in all its many faces-
the august sorrows
crumbling cream rose petals fall
stolen by the breeze
I enjoy writing haiku in summer. You can sit quietly watching summer enjoying the gentle heat. The garden is very much alive in summer and particularly the blue spiky sea thistles which sway by my back door as they become a bumblebee hotel and the air is filling with the constant buzzing of happy bees. While walking through the woods, can take on a magical quality as the sun pours through the leaf filled branches creating lace shadow masterpieces on the path beneath your feet.
This book is a memory of my Devon summers. Pictures of summer recorded as haiku for everyone to experience and enjoy. Haiku Sun will be available in Summer 2019.
Haiku Gold is the third part of my series of haiku books exploring the four different seasons and
is a celebration of autumn. Autumn is my favourite season. A season touched with magic as the faded leaves of summer make way to a dazzling display of golds, reds, and browns. When you walk on a natural carpet of autumnal colours which crunch under your feet-
morning sun stretches
gold leaves caught by sunlit rays
stayed for an instant
Frozen Haiku is the final stage of my seasonal haiku journey. A ‘thought-provoking collection of imaginative, visually stunning haiku.’ This collection explores the magical transformations, discoveries, and interactions with nature as winter tightens her grip over the sleeping landscape.
The world in winter is an enchanted place as winter tightens its grip on the countryside, wildlife, and people –
leaf showers fall as
winds chase swirls of crumbling leaves
whispers of winter
Frozen Haiku is available from Amazon and all good bookstores.
To read more haiku wanderings please visit my website at http://pjreedwriting.jigsy.com
Poetry Books on Sale from Amazon
Leave a Comment