Touching Bedrock

The title of Paul Matthews' poetry collection, "Oracles," can be read two ways: impasse or contraction. Each section covers unique themes, such as celebrating the world after a life crisis, grieving during a lockdown, remembering lost friends, addressing contemporary issues like the pandemic and war, and changing consciousness and perception. The collection is praised for its thoughtful lyrics, grounded in daily life and human warmth, and for its ability to leave an imprint on the reader.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 72 pages
Publication date: 28 August 2023
Publisher: Troubador Publishing

Canticles is a poetry collection that explores themes of impasse, contraction, purging, beauty, grief, birdsong, testing times, departures, lost friends, birth, war, ecological crisis, loss of insight, and transformation. The author's goal is to change consciousness and perception and respond to contemporary issues such as the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. The book is praised for its thoughtful lyrics, grounded in daily life and human warmth, and for its delicate and full wisdom. The author's sensibility is said to leave an imprint on the reader, rendering the poems both delicate and wise.

In Canticles, these ‘small songs celebrate the world given back after a life crisis. Wood bleeds where a branch was, then ‘ripples a beauty around it. In Season s, the grief and birdsong that accompanied our spring lockdown descend into the ground of winter. A surgical glove ‘scrabbling in the dust bears witness to testing times.

With Departures, lost friends are remembered. The writer continues to address them as living. ‘Contraction comes to serve as a language for giving birth. Oracles covers war, the ecological crisis, loss of insight for the fabulous - these touch wider matters. ‘Tongues quick now with a flame within will render dry stone into a speaking thing.

Pauls latest collection of lyrical poetry aims to change consciousness and perception and responds to contemporary issues such as the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. His poem, Waiting Outside, was highly commended in the Bridport Poetry awards of 2022. This is a book of thoughtful lyrics, grounded in daily life and human warmth… John Freeman This is heart-work, soul-work, for both poet and reader. As Paul Matthews says… the manner of our looking / leaves an imprint there and it is this sensibility that renders the poems both delicate and full with wisdom. Kay Syrad

Dimension: 198 x 129 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781805141853