Where many poets focus on what it is to be a certain type of human being in a particular contemporary situation, Leaning Willow is concerned with what it is to be human, period. Although the collection is unapologetically anti-modernism and all of its manifestations (materialism, scientism, consumerism, individualism, and democracy) and some of the poems have a bit of a bite, most of the pages reflect the author's sense of faith, hope and love. Some of the poems reflect these concerns by addressing big questions such as the nature of time; others address the same concerns by describing a simple event, such as stepping out of a door. Some of the poems express the issues with cutting cynicism; others express the same issues with comic relief. One tool used by the author to create a longer pause or to allow for a second voice or echo to appear is to literally change languages. That is, in several of the poems a line or two of French or Latin a is used. One section of the collection opens with a quatrain in French and closes with its Latin translation, both brief recapitulations of a longer poem found in the opening section. One unique aspect of the collection is that there is a conscious effort to bury a loose story line so that a each section reacts to or extends the previous and the final poems revisit the first. In light of the West's desire to militarily and economically transmit its "way of life" around the world, this collection questions whether that way of life is something that is worth spreading.
This volume starts with the writings of Bede and covers the range of Medieval literature up to the time of Thomas More. The Old English selections which include extracts from Beowulf and well-known riddles and elegies, are in modern English translation. The Middle English writings, from Langland, Chaucer, Malory and many others, are presented in the original language with marginal notes, or with a full translation where appropriate. This anthology contains new translations of some well-known works, and provides an illuminating insight into this fascinating period.
In a changed reality, a curious boy confronts an ancient anger Boy Jaim’s world is a peaceful place where war and violence are a distant memory and man and beast live together as friends. Although his contemporaries prefer to fly far above the surface of the earth, Boy Jaim is an explorer who yearns to chart the mysteries of the forest floor. And so, accompanied by his dog, Doubtful, he ventures into the woods and finds something he believed the world had left behind: hate. Doubtful smells the beast first—a powerful animal, dangerous and full of rage. It is a bear, come to take revenge on humankind for slaughtering its brothers long ago, and its violence forces Boy Jaim’s people to take up weapons for the first time in generations. But when the bear begins communicating with Boy Jaim, he finds they have common cause and will have to work together to survive.
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