Sixty Poems @ 60

By Keith Evans

This powerful and moving collection of sixty poems written chronologically over a period of one year when the author was 60 provides an illuminating and observational reflection of day-to-day life in a mixture of lighter and more serious works. The rhyming style creates an immersive feel to the work, while the prose-led pieces stand out in their difference. The striking honesty of the work allows the reader to act as a travelling friend or a confidant rather than an audience as they are drawn deeper into the author’s personal reflections. The moments of humour interwoven between the more painful considerations have a captivating effect.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Apr 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9781398404571

Keith Evans

Keith was born in Wales in 1958 and his early upbringing established a strong link with music and literature. Married with two children, this link was strengthened by over 30 years living in Oxford, before retiring back to the Gower coast in Wales. An education focussed on science and technology, including a doctorate from Oxford University, led Keith towards initially an academic research post at Oxford and then a career in specialist services and technology businesses. Keith also established his own company and was also Chief Executive of a FTSE listed global software and services business. Since retiring Keith has focussed on his interests in literature, art and music.

Book preview

About the Author

Keith was born in Wales in 1958 and his early upbringing established a strong link with music and literature. Married with two children, this link was strengthened by over 30 years living in Oxford, before retiring back to the Gower coast in Wales.

An education focussed on science and technology, including a doctorate from Oxford University, led Keith towards initially an academic research post at Oxford and then a career in specialist services and technology businesses. Keith also established his own company and was also Chief Executive of a FTSE listed global software and services business.

Since retiring Keith has focussed on his interests in literature, art and music.

Dedication

This collection of poems is dedicated to all my wonderful family - current, past and future.

Copyright Information ©

Keith Evans 2022

The right of Keith Evans to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781398404564 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781398404571 (ePub e-Book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2022

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd

1 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5AA

Acknowledgement

I would like to thank my wonderful wife Debra for her unconditional love, guidance and help with everything in our lives.

Introduction

For most of my life my studies and work have been dominated by science, technology and business, leaving very little space and time for music, art and literature. As I was approaching my 60th year I decided that I should start to re-balance my interests. From an early age poetry had drifted in and out of my life, both reading and writing, and so I decided that I would write sixty poems during my sixtieth year, with the aim of then publishing the collection as a book. Starting on December 2nd 2018, my 60th birthday, I had completed the sixty poems by the 7th November 2019.

As I wanted this collection of poems to represent a piece of structured art accomplished over a set time period and not just a collection of sixty random poems, I contextualised the poetry as ‘observational’. Each week I set myself the task of noting down five ‘observations’ that had taken my interest, and then to write a poem on at least one of these items before I could move onto the next week’s list. In this way the poems are a reflection of my observational events through the year as well as my emotional interpretation of this observation or my personal views of the activity I had observed. I felt that the time of year and location presented me with a context and a challenge to observe, record, write and comment.

This structure gave me an immediate challenge during my first week. To celebrate my 60th birthday my wife and I went to Paris for a few days. Late on the night of my birthday I received a telephone call from my mother’s nursing home, she had been very ill for a few years, to say that they thought that my mother was very near to passing away, I explained where I was and that we would not be able to get back to the UK until the following morning; two hours later they called to say that my mother had passed away. This dominated my life and thoughts