Momentary Insights

An eclectic mix of emotion, with themes of love, loss, despair, fear, anxiety and hope, where the catharsis of writing whilst in the therapeutic senses of nature brings the momentary insights of truth.

Truth…

“Though seemingly momentary, the ideal is of abiding eternal,

‘Tis the essence of our being, in every light and all nocturnal.

Freely exposed cognitions, bared naked in thought,

Given freely at no cost… priceless.

Now… Feel clothed in the warmth,

Of what in all of us is sought.”

Modern Iraqi Poetry: Abdulwahhab Al-Bayyati: Poet of Diaspora

‘Abdulwahhāb Al‑Bayyāti was one of the triumvirate of poets who dominated modern Iraqi and Arabic poetry of the mid-1950s. Following the pioneer female poet Nazik Al-Mala’ika, he moved away from the tail-end of the romantic period of Arabic poetry, with its reliance on classical verse style.
These modern poets introduced new subjects, both social and political, employing a more psychological approach. They used direct language, free from the traditional figures of speech, but enriched with cultural connotations.
This is the fifth book of translations by ‘Adulwāḥid Lu’lu’a to be published by Austin Macauley. The first in the ‘Modern Iraqi Poetry’ series, showcasing the work of Abdulrazzāq ʻAbdulwāḥid, was published in 2018.

Modern Iraqi Poetry

Abdulrazzaq Abdulwahid was an award-winning Iraqi poet who enjoyed worldwide recognition and translation into a number of languages.

Abdulwahid Lu'lu'a has lovingly compiled and translated this collection, Modern Iraqi Poetry: A Poet for All Seasons, where the poet espouses a great love of his Iraqi homeland, weaving in vivid imagery from the cradle of civilisation with a fierce interest in politics and pain at his country’s recent turbulent history. He also turns his attention to love, writing in a delicate style, attractive to sensitive souls.

Mettle & Flesh

‘I realise with quite a fright
this page is now my portal
for as you read the words I write
I become immortal’

Mettle & Flesh is a collection of poetry encompassing observations on life, and how we see ourselves within it.
Born from personal experience, the poems span across topics ranging from love, loss, ageing, trust, bad dates, and the inner thoughts we usually keep to ourselves.
The poems range from contemplation to rage, from disappointment, to questioning the status quo. Within them, you will find a personal connection as you hear your own inner voice echoed on the page.
Mettle & Flesh is a representation of the inner strength we build through experience, and the pain and joy that our flesh can bring.

Mental Health Matters – Volume 2

Mental Health Matters – Volume 2 will give you an insight into mental health through poetry.

My own mental health battles have been difficult, I hope to grow as a person and make people believe in themselves. I also want people to relate because at some point we all struggle with mental health.

Mental health can make you feel like you’re living a constant nightmare that will never end. But things do get better, I’m living proof of that. I hope to share my poems with you because life is precious and, most importantly, you are precious. Sometimes in life we just survive instead of living. If you ever feel like this. I hope you realise how beautiful a place this world is. Remember. it’s raining but eventually the sun will rise.

While in the darkest of places, I found poetry a beautiful way to express emotions. so give it a go and read some of my poems: some happy, some deep. Whatever it is you’re looking for – a poem to cheer you up, a poem you can relate too – this book has it all.

Mental Awakenings

This book details the meaning of spiritual essence and courage to survive and strive. It is a journey of daily writings which can be used to help other people’s experiences of mental strength all while still trying to figure life out. Take from this book what you will...

Memories and More

The basic idea of this book is to share life experiences, and thereby give comfort and encourage smiles, by showing my own and others’ reflections on different life-situations. I am sure that many of them are comparable to those that occur in your life, or to others around you. By sharing experiences, we all learn something. Women are probably sharing thoughts more often than men. Many of the events in this book have also been discussed in female groups. They have not all been personally experienced by me but are the consensus from these fruitful discussions. Now I am pleased to share them with you. Among the experiences discussed in this book: heartbreak, the #MeToo movement and my own experiences, divorce as its complication as a parent, and my own thoughts about the pandemic. I also share with you my thoughts about the aging process that we all must endure, if we are lucky enough to live that long, since life is still a gift given to us all. We ought to remember that and enjoy the journey.

Memoirs of the Village Idiot

‘How is it possible that life, for the life of it, could be painful and joy-less? Yet it has survived for ages?’…

Is the ability to see the world in its most unflattering state, without reason nor rhyme, a gift or a curse with a pinch of mental instability?

Meanwhile Back at the Nest

Only through dialogue with nature and the animal kingdom can we hope to fathom the human condition. Such conversation enables us to establish a fresh benchmark by which to gauge the significance of what it takes to be human in a truer sense of the word. This collection of poems represents the findings of a man who is still very much a work in progress!

beyond observer’s books

and climbing boys

there nests a bird

that only takes

to wing

to prey

on feeble-minded men

designed for toil

and useful days

but who stand too long

and gaze

gathering sunlight at its tail

it swoops unseen

and strikes

with song caresses

ear and mind

while talons grip

the heart

and choke all talk

this bird

part nightingale

part hawk

Meandering With The Months

Embark on a journey of nature’s beauty and wonder with Meandering With The Months, a collection of poetry that takes you on a lyrical journey through the seasons. Each month is like a slice of cake, each with its own unique flavour and essence, inviting you to step inside and immerse yourself in the natural world. Whether you’re exploring the great outdoors or curled up in your favourite chair, Meandering With The Months offers a chance to wander, contemplate, reflect and relax. Be transported through a kaleidoscope of colours and emotions as you travel through the year, discovering the treasures each month has to offer.

Meandering Ideas

Following Maria Marshall’s A Child’s War, her memoir of family life during World War 2, this first collection of her poetry covers subjects ranging from the beauty of nature to mind-boggling discoveries about the universe, as well as places and events in Kilkenny City, where she and her late husband Peter lived for the last 20 years.

May I Have a Word

The collection of poetry contained on the pages of this book serves as a peek into Lukasz Kuraj’s within. Subjects he chooses to explore are vessels of his thoughts carefully steered towards their final port. Structure is the current which propels them forward taking the reader on board for the brief moments deserving to be written into the captain’s log. Whether fighting a storm or admiring a clear blue sky, the journey undertaken is worth the while spent discovering the great care for each line put down on paper to exist even beyond the horizon. Feeling harboured in every verse reflects his inner voice the way a tract throws light back into the heavens. Upon arriving at the destination Lukasz would like the reader’s trip to be one to treasure and his love of words to be seen from below deck as well as from the crow’s nest. Let’s leave the shore together in search of an adventure and immortality of the soul.