Through Us the Cosmos Watches

Paradoxically, poetry is everywhere and almost nowhere. There are jingles and slogans in advertisements, low-grade poetry is popular on Instagram, and chatbots will churn out soulless concatenations of words. But you can tell that poetry itself is valued little because it’s mostly given away for free. In a liberal society of empowered know-it-alls, the attempt to transcend the conventions of the hoi palloi, to use language creatively and say something important seems a snobbish, pretentious endeavor. Perhaps it was always so, even in ancient times when most folks couldn’t even read, let alone appreciate a skilled, visionary use of words. I appreciate how well-chosen words can transmit thought and experience across the void between minds. As a teenager, I used to tape paper printouts of zingers I’d find in my readings, and stick them on my bedroom walls. Ever since then, I’ve honed my ability to write. The poems in this anthology were written over two decades, although more recently I’ve edited the earlier ones. They branch out from observations of a Canadian suburb, where they were written, to commentaries on society and art, to more cosmic, philosophical contemplations.