Today and Yesterday

Written over a number of decades and covering a wide range of experiences and aspects of life, Today and Yesterday has been described as:  “A compelling and poignant collection of poetry … the vivid and colourful verse will captivate readers, drawing them into each piece and holding them until the very end. … The intricate and intriguing themes will leave many readers reflecting on their own lives and experiences as they are taken on an extraordinary and thought-provoking journey.”
This new book of poetry from David McMichael seeks to attain a balance between the modern and the traditional, the real and the dreamlike, ‘today and yesterday’. Only the reader can decide to what extent this is achieved.

To Fall and to Rise

The author puts his entire world on trial with the hope of breaking free from the shackles of his past. He desperately seeks a path that will see his dreams and desires fulfilled but must confront his fears, failures, and an unwilling mind along the way. 

Thoughts Untethered

Poetry from a doctor?

Sounds unlikely?

Then do take a look.

This is a poet’s dialogue with life

The eternal tussle of joy and strife

The sojourn of mind across countless miles

Of human affliction, tears and smiles

Dreams, desires, aspirations and hopes

Bound by Love’s invisible silken ropes

Thoughts untethered cantering along Time’s sands

This is not a book but my soul in your hands.

Neeti works as a qualified Psychiatrist in the UK.

Her poems are born from her own experiences of life and from intimate association with human suffering.

She has been writing since her teenage years and has won several awards and accolades for her work.

This book is a reflective and intimate journey through both the agony and ecstasy of life  and would be a wonderful gift for lovers of nature and soft poetry.

Thoughts on Paper

These intriguing and immersive collections of poetry are the literal thoughts of the author on paper. They cover a (myriad) range of topics and sentiments, and the author hopes they evoke an emotional roller coaster for the reader.

Thorns of a Rose / جزب

“When the blowing winds advocate to die…
Hope and the light refuse to be shy…”

Using every wound as a prop, every word as a weapon and her own life as a role model, Naziha Mahmood is fundamentally the subject of her own work. She is every person struggling with dismissal and subdual. From a fractured woman, Naziha had to toughen herself up. Naziha expresses her Asian background and the burden that comes with it. Her work is for anyone who may find it resonates with his or her own spirit. She reaches every soul through her work…

This Soul of Mine

This book is a pocket universe, a small representation of life and what it means to experience it. Life is full of experiences that are worth celebrating. This book explores the sadness, tough times, and crippling moments that we encounter in life. From heartbreak and mental health struggles to the moments we look back on with regret, this book explores these moments, because we need to feel them.

This book explores the times when life is confusing and the times when we face experiences and feelings that are new to us. This anthology of poetry aims to navigate these experiences.

The Wet Patch

You can read into the title of this book anything you wish. Some of my coastal friends on Magnetic Island, North Queensland, and some folks in our little town of Ravenshoe in far North Queensland—anything north of Townsville is far—have, without reading my poetic yarns, jumped to their own conclusions.

Some say, “You’ve written about our wet tropics and rainforest. Others say it’s about our ‘Big Wet’, a nice mild term for our cyclone season. Yet others have truly mucky minds.
What I will say, is that The Wet Patch along with all of the other humorous poems in this little book are true stories.

The book is scattered with North Queensland colloquialisms. The characters, even those with silly names, are real people. Dave, who features in my poems, is my husband, David.

Hope you enjoy the book as much as I did living it.

The Way and the Truth

“It is amazing how much information we absorb and retain as we develop and experience life – often listening to lectures or informative television programmes. It could be attending classes of subject interest, taking exams and more. Vocabulary expands all the time and what a place technology now has. People throughout history have been so clever and talented, inventive and artistically creative. I do hope these poems, based on the Bible, will be of help and interest, and food for thought for many, many people.”
– Jayne Marilyn Johns-Davies

The Urban Narratives: Untold Stories

Presented through the reflective lens of a strong-minded psychological therapist, a quirky misfit turned poet, who embarks on a life-changing journey to collaborate with a community immersed in the legacy of slavery, to gain a deeper understanding of the daily lived experiences of black men in order to work together to make a difference.

An emotionally vulnerable and unflinching search for self-transformation, The Urban Narratives: Untold Stories asks searching questions about love, relationships, conflict, the cultural depictions of black men, toxicity, and how anger is both expressed and resolved to restore healthy relationships in black communities. This collection of poetry is inspired by reflections on real situations, conversations and life events, and will prove to be profound and inspiring for readers of all backgrounds.

The Spark: An Ode to Life

Through this book of poems, I wanted to express the dynamic mystery that is existence, as well as the innate essence of life that we each carry in us as human beings, and show how language can be a medium for pure desire, as well as the desired. Through this book, with verses that flow like dance and rhythms that silently echo as music, my wish is to bring the above to life, and to highlight a sense of magic upon you, the reader.

The title, The Spark: An Ode to Life, accentuates both the wild and calm nature of fire, and the words written on each page are like sparks ignited, celebrating creativity and possibility.

Upon these lines I strive to linger for moments upon the edge of the cliff, and then soar someplace within myself. Come, fly with me.

The Skylark

This is a collection of Haiku poems with watercolour illustrations manifested with the heartfelt plea that as one we can regain the balance of nature.

‘What if there is no bird song?’

Then it’s too late. We haven’t listened and we haven’t acted.

‘Greed feeds corruption

 A continual circle

Corruption feeds greed

Disorder then chaos

As everything will dissolve Into entropy.’

The Shadow of the Poppy

Within the ranks of a beleaguered army, hearts and thoughts turn towards home. A whole generation of young men, torn asunder by ravages of war, tormented by what would become known as the ‘Devil’s Breath’. From the rats that scampered around the dying, to the machines of steel trampling everything under their rolling treads, to the flying bullets and double-edged bayonets, the barbed-wire fencing and blood-curdling screams, ‘no man’s land’ became representative of hell.
As the demons of war raged around them, many a young man sat with a pen between their shaking fingers to write their fears: their desperation over a life that was fading…