Soft As Sin

This is the first in a series of a few posts in which I’ll introduce the books I have written, created and published.

Today we have my first book, which was a collection of poems that I titled Soft As Sin. The cover was illustrated by Helen Miller (as was the main image of this website). This was originally available as a physical book, however the printing company shut down so it is now rare that real copies exist! It is available on Amazon Kindle. If there is demand I might consider opening it up to Print on Demand but for now, this is what you have!

Contained within are poems from the decade spanning 2005-2015, a lot of teen angst, coming-of-age, dealing with emotions, life, loss. It also has more illustrations every time a year changes, by Helen. I just love her artwork. You should check it out! It’s only 99p!

And as a treat there’s a rarely-seen poem from the book below.

Fireworks
The “bang, bang, bang,” swirl of colours,
Fading to just smoke in the sky,
I wonder if it’s just a metaphor for life?
You’re conceived, maybe a planned event,
Or just a good idea at that time,
You’re prepared, You’re let go.
You make some noise, then explode.
Then sit back, watch the show-your life’s work.
Doesn’t last too long…
-Then-

Whoosh. Gone.
But, do you get to choose how big a bang you made?
If people say “ooh” or are just disappointed, move on,
Waiting for the next big thing?
Do you choose your colour?
Purple? Blue? Orange? Yellow?
Sing me a rainbow on a pistol black sky
And I’ll sing you every song I know.
Until all we are is smoke.
All we are is smoke.
Our light shone, noises made, reaction received.
Stamped, approved or dismissed.
Done.
All we become is smoke.
In the end.
But I’d rather be smoke with you, than smoke alone.
So let’s watch it all go bang.