The Vietnam war lingers on in the US, because it was
such an unexpected failure, echoing towards the Iraq war and now the Afghan conflict. War poetry is nothing new, because
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masses of emotion will flow through the media, colleges and homes. And sometimes verses are the only option to our sticky affairs of living/working/fighting; either that or too much to drink --
The word "poetry" can put readers off but it can touch the hearts and souls of those of us who care. These poems do exactly that. They put the most disastrous conflict that America has been involved into an historical context that is as relevant as possible to the war in Afghanistan.
The book contains poetry that is easy to read but which exposes lives that are difficult to come to terms with in our modern society. The author's working life is centred on supporting students who are in their final two years of school but for some reason or other they have encountered troubles, peer pressure, or complex parental relationships; to name but a few!
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The knock-on effect of his work is the ability to dissolve inner feelings of frustration & emotional tidal waves. To remove negative thoughts & regain self composure is a requirement for the following day’s workload. Emotion clouds judgement and that is not acceptable when making decisions that can influence a young person’s life. The author, Alan Armstrong, has dealt with knife crime, child prostitution, drug abuse and violence. He has chosen to alleviate some of the turbulence of his mind by writing verse that allows the recording of a day’s experience. In that way, whilst it is preserved for posterity, his mind can release the stress by commitment to words! The hard print is simply how he relates and interprets a student telling their experiences in plain and simple speech.
If you have ever visited, or worked, in London and looked at the people as well as the buildings, this book of free-form poems will stir your emotions. From the prostitutes to the celebrities; from the drudge of work to the freedom of the parks,
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Londinium Poeta touches the soul of the great City. London has been a popular venue for a long time; very much entailing all aspects of life today, for residents/visitors/students – from the big modern engine that is a city. And the city eventually brings out an inner landscape within people; which is the first-person persona, through greater circumstance – this is the essential ‘lyric form’. The poems are not free of rhythm or form, only free of rime and meter, because these do not work well with the subject at hand. London requires stronger, tougher structures.
There is passion and intensity, budding libidos and romantic egos, explored and displayed across these pages. Tales of romance and youth (the special realm of poesy)... beginning on Wearside (UK) to continue onto California and Canada.
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The young persona has a birthplace yet needs to develop, relocate to promising regions... but the poems have no specific location and no time period; except they are modern, in open free verse.
