Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age: 18
- Grade: 12
Description
In July, 2021, during the great pandemic hiatus, these poems started to write themselves. Simple,crisp and thin, they are musings and meditations about a wide variety of subjects. I uploaded them as they appeared on a website called "Poems for Today", with images from photographs I have taken over the last two decades. Many are from trips to England, Portugal and Italy. The photos are not intended to illustrate the poems, but to keep them company on the page.
About the author
Contributor Notes
Ronald Weihs was born in Toronto in 1946 and studied English Language and Literature at Victoria College. He has been writing and directing plays all his adult life, in Toronto, British Columbia and Hamilton, Ontario. He has written many poems and songs for his plays, but this is the first book of poetry he has published. He believes in the power of live performance, and uses ensemble techniques to release the shared energy of actors and musicians. His artistic (and personal) partner for over four decades is Judith Sandiford. Together they call themselves Artword, and have created Artword Artists Forum Magazine, Artword Theatre in Toronto, Artword Artbar in Hamilton and now Artword Press. He plays fiddle and guitar.
Editorial Reviews
"I’ve read these poems with pleasure, returning more than once to Anniversaries, Anger, Kids Today, and Weather Report. The best poems in poems for today share a subtle penetrating quality, with that important touch of surprise in their conclusions, on subjects that are currently worrying many of us. I enjoyed the photos too, that while not illustrating the poetry, provide a rich, tangential accompaniment to it.”
John Bemrose, The River Twice.
I enjoyed your book enormously. I found the pieces very strong and clear. Adding Italian parallels to some of them was a great stroke. There's enough English that you can pick out the Italian and be reminded what a rich and powerful literary language it it is. Stronger, in many ways, than English. The pictures add a third level. I know they're not intended as illustrations, but they give a sense of a hovering and searching eye. Another spirit. It makes it a real pleasure to read.
Ted Johns, playright
