Labournight & Other Poems

This is Martin Connolly's first collection of poems. It contains 31 original poetic compositions on subjects which range from the clearly dramatic -the birth of a child- to the apparently mundane -the purchasing of bread, the eating of an apple and the falling of rain. LABOURNIGHT & OTHER POEMS might be taken as a kind of autobiographical journey, spanning a period of over thirty years, from the author's native Ireland to his adopted home in Japan. Indeed, many of these poems open a door onto life in Japan, but not only. Life, death, war, the behaviour of very young children, busking, commuting, the machinery of modern life, you name it, this poetry engages by re-phrasing common experiences and sensations in language which is fresh, subtle and yet bold. Nothing is deemed unimportant. Anything could be fascinating. Banal dead-time on a train is fertile ground for inquiry, or fear, or even wonder. This is accessible poetry, vital poetry, a collection of compelling stories, born into a world that has, alas, forgotten what poetry is. It is hoped LABOURNIGHT & OTHER POEMS may breathe much-needed life into the age-old craft of poesie.