Beyond the breaking of the stone

Man is a meaning-seeking creature. We have an undeniable need to ask how and why. We look for answers to 'how?' in science and mathematics. For answers to 'why?' questions, we have to search in our experience of life and to explore the world of ideas, those of others and our own.

That's when words and ideas, suitably arranged, come together in a happy confluence of sound and meaning, signifying something worthwhile. The poems in this book are written in various forms and styles. Some rhyme; some don't. The meaning of some is perfectly straightforward; others are multi-layered. In some of the poems, the poet is seeking to meet one of poetry's familiar objectives, of conveying "what oft was thought, but ne'er so well expressed". But he clearly hopes that some of his readers will be interested in poems that explore ideas that are less commonly thought. Some of the poems deal with contentious issues; some contain sexually explicit lines and provocative thoughts. As he says in his Introduction: "If I offend anyone, I apologise. But everyone should have the right to say what they think, just as everyone has the right to disagree or criticise."

The collection is divided into eleven sections: Love; Anger, Madness & Despair; Conflict & War; Danger & Fear; God; Hope; Life; Occasional Poems; Stories; Lyrics; Stuff & Nonsense.