We were brought up to believe poetry was an elitist means to express emotions, and that rules and regulations applied. Do you recall having to gauge secret meanings behind the words the poet put on paper because if you did you were considered highly literate? Fortunately for some the realisation that poetry is so much more came into existence. Poetry in fact means freedom. We can put our own slant on what we read, we can identify and explore from our own perspectives and in doing so recognise we are not alone in what we feel.

Poetry is about exploring our feelings, about discovering the world and the thoughts of others, and most of all it is about connecting with others whether by a single line, a verse, or a poem. Long, short, shaped, rhyming, sad, serious, disciplined or expansive, free verse, or traditional, poetry grabs the heart and supports our existence.

Emotions in Existence continues what Emotions in Eruption began, and Emotions in Evolution embraced. It is about consolidating freedom of expression through free verse, sonnets (one to Shakespeare himself thanking him for his interesting input to the English language) and the more disciplined Japanese forms including haiku, tanka and the haibun. It is about letting go of fear when it comes to our deepest emotions.