Bøger af James Sawers

We've all had those moments, in the wee hours of the night, just south of midnight, when unbidden thoughts and emotions come to the fore. We think of past events, that somehow, we can't let go of, and they play with us, offering no rest or resolution. We think of the future and what it may offer. We think of the present, creating multiple scenarios to get to that precarious future. Building castles in the mind, of the mind, on foundations of dark mist, desire, fear, pain, and, maybe, some hope. The poems in this volume speak to these moments - a product of such nights. Some also call poems like this, observational poetry. Poems that offer up descriptors of the world and our journey through it. Whatever they are called, as long as they call to you, perhaps late at night, when sleep seems like an elusive dream. As with all books in the Life Series, each book is standalone, and can be read in any order.

Newly revised and updated, this second edition of WORDS OF WAR brings simple, evocative poems to the themes of war, battle, and loss. War is certainly one of the most radical experiences a person, or a nation, can go through. The actions taken, the feelings generated, all encompass gains and losses never to be experienced in any other human endeavor. The poems in this collection span the human experience of war from different viewpoints.Regardless of a person's position about war in general, the commonality of fear, pain, dreadful beauty, monstrous loss and death, is something all of us can and do relate to, on and off the battlefield - These poems highlight the highest and lowest of human emotions, shared across time and cultures.

This is a book of poetry on life, love, and loss. It is the first volume in the Life Series. Simple and accessible poems. If you have lived and loved, this book is for you.

The universe that the Vessel exists in is part of a poetic science-fiction saga about Humanity's sometimes rocky journey and expansion to the stars as a space-faring species - Humanity Interstellar. From hostile alien encounters, to spiritual endevours and development, to just plain living on new worlds and habitats. The Vessel is a spiritual community, not necessarily a religious one, though it has taken practices and operating philosophies from a number of Olde Earthe religions and spiritual traditions, creating something truly unique. The Vessel does not believe in the supernatural, though it considers the universe itself Supernatural in a way - an ultimate Vessel. The Vessel also considers human bodies Vessels themselves in the search for God, likewise their monasteries and spacecraft. All Vessels in the search for God, following the Trail of God wherever it may lead. The Vessel consists of monks, theirfollowers, and chains of monasteries on Olde Earthe, various colonized planets, and space habitats. Each monastery is led by a Hashi (Bridge), a spiritual leader. The Vessel also consists of monks, called Dokan (Conduits), Initiates called Linku (Links), with lay staff called Tsunagari (Connectors), that act as intermediaries with any locals and outside organizations. And sprinkled throughout the Vessel system are people called Maindo-Masuta (Mind-Masters), those who have achieved the highest spiritual levels. If there appears to be a heavy Japanese influence in the nomenclature, that is because it is a carry-over from one of the Vessel's early founders, Kannushi (God-Master) Miyamoto Chiba, who was Japanese. One of the other major founders was Professor James Darwin, a British Professor of Natural Science & Philosophy.

Go Tell the Crows is a book of poetry on war. War in all its various aspects, from the past to the present, and through various lenses. As you read these poems, please keep in mind that war and combat can take many different forms, and take place in many different locations, not just on the front lines. The battle lines can be anywhere, even on the Homefront. Though this is volume 3 in the War Series, this book, as are the others, is a stand-alone book, and each can be read without having to have read the others in the series first.

Nothing Exists, is the fourth volume in the Nothing series. It is similar to its companion volumes, Nothing Works, Nothing Special, and, Nothing Matters, in that it is a book of personal examination and exploration, the outcome of which is a collection of poems that blends personal tales of discovery and direct experience, with more distant and imagined poems in Aikido, meditation, and eastern thought in general. The author's first hand, direct experience comes across in his writings.

Eclectic poems of the everyday, dealing with poems of life, love, and loss - with a little lust! Simple and accessible poems - if you have lived and loved, they will speak to you.

Cold Warmth represents the eighth book in what is loosely described as The Life Series, consisting of contemporary poems that cover a wide gamut of situations and ideas - as most everyone's very own life tends to do. As much as possible, the title of each book of poetry tends to reflect the book's general content, to a certain degree. A general theme, but not a script. Poetry is everywhere, inhabiting this world, other worlds, and the spaces in-between: a park bench, a wandering moon, politics, science; and, of course, the human condition, always ripe for explorations and consideration. The poems in this volume are plain-spoken, without artifice or meaning stifled by unnecessary allusions to ancient tomes no one but a scholar has ever heard of, nevermind read. If you can read, and have an interest in poetry, this eclectic array of poems is accessible and understandable. Human to human, emotion to emotion, thought to thought, they reach out and remind us that we are all in this together, and share a broad common experience and humanity. As usual, the books in the Life Series are standalone, and can be read and enjoyed in any order.

Accidental Gods is a book of contemporary poetry dealing with everyday life, as well as some outer aspects that may be considered more imaginary. It is Vol. 6 in the Life Series, but as all the books in this series, can be read, and considered, as a standalone book of poetry.

Eclectic poems of the everyday, dealing with life, love, and loss - with some politics thrown in... Simple and accessible poems - if you have lived and loved, they will speak to you.

We all only have One Life to live. The poems in this volume highlight, and detail, various aspects of trying to live this one life. Everyone has a history, a present, and hopes for a future life. These poems attempt to capture the feelings of this journey, the high and lows all of us experience as we venture into an unknown, and unknowable future. Everyone makes this journey alone, yet we all share the commonality of just being human; therefore, we are able to understand and feel to some extent, what each of us experiences and endures. By reading One Life, you may see your own life reflected back

War of Swords is a book of poetry on Religion and Mysticism, with a touch of Science thrown in. This volume deals with thoughts, meditations, insights on all of the above topics. Some poems may require more than a first glance to understand, others can be grasped with a simple, single reading. The book also offers various viewpoints re Religions and Mysticism, some pro some con, and some with a bit of humour. The book should be read with as open mind as possible to get the most out of it.

Rainy Nights In Chicago is a book of poetry dealing with the everyday aspects of life and living, particularly in a major city like Chicago. Volume III, in the Life Series.

As in the previous volumes in this series, the poems in Nothing Flows are designed to encapsulate states of mind, emotions, philosophical insights, or even, flashes of spiritual illumination. Nothing Flows is a book of personal examination and exploration, the outcome of which is a collection of poems that blends personal tales of discovery and direct experience, with more distant and imagined poems in Aikido, meditation, and eastern thought in general.

Poems of love and life in the (mostly) everyday.

The universe that the Vessel exists in is part of a poetic science-fiction saga about Humanity's sometimes rocky journey and expansion to the stars as a space-faring species - Humanity Interstellar. From hostile alien encounters, to spiritual endevours and development, to just plain living on new worlds and habitats. The Vessel is a spiritual community, not necessarily a religious one, though it has taken practices and operating philosophies from a number of Olde Earthe religions and spiritual traditions, creating something truly unique. The Vessel does not believe in the supernatural, though it considers the universe itself Supernatural in a way - an ultimate Vessel. The Vessel also considers human bodies Vessels themselves in the search for God, likewise their monasteries and spacecraft. All Vessels in the search for God, following the Trail of God wherever it may lead. The Vessel consists of monks, their followers, and chains of monasteries on Olde Earthe, various colonized planets, and space habitats. Each monastery is led by a Hashi (Bridge), a spiritual leader. The Vessel also consists of monks, called Dokan (Conduits), Initiates called Linku (Links), with lay staff called Tsunagari (Connectors), that act as intermediaries with any locals and outside organizations. And sprinkled throughout the Vessel system are people called Maindo-Masuta (Mind-Masters), those who have achieved the highest spiritual levels. If there appears to be a heavy Japanese influence in the nomenclature, that is because it is a carry-over from one of the Vessel's early founders, Kannushi (God-Master) Miyamoto Chiba, who was Japanese. One of the other major founders was Professor James Darwin, a British Professor of Natural Science & Philosophy.

Nothing Matters, is the third volume in the Nothing series. It is similar to its companion volumes, Nothing Works and Nothing Special in that it is a book of personal examination and exploration, the outcome of which is a collection of poems that blends personal tales of discovery and direct experience, with more distant and imagined poems in Aikido, meditation, and eastern thought in general. The author's first hand, direct experience comes across in his writings.

This is a book of poetry and meditations on absurd notions like God, Truth, and Being (there is nothing absurd about Coffee!). Absurd because there does not seem to be any real, definitive, universally accepted answers to these subjects, which in truth are actually questions. The only exception appears to be Coffee. Coffee seems to be an answer unto itself, needing no further exposition. You will also find in this book some mention of the martial art of Aikido, an art that I have been practicing for many years. I first started Aikido to complement my personal meditation practice. Some people insist that a person can't really fulfill their meditation potential without also studying a martial art, nor become a complete martial artist without studying and practicing meditation. I tend to agree. Creating an Aikido body concurrently creates an Aikido mind, both working hard for that hoped for eventual unity. Basically, the book is composed of commentaries and hopefully insights, in a poetic format, into the various subject matters. The poems in this book are intentionally not particularly long and can be read in any order, there is no specific classification or ostensible ordering, though some pairings will be apparent. I also hope readers will pay attention to the quotes in the quotes sections offered in the front and back of this book. They were selected with care to fit and complement the book's subject matter.

MILITARY MAXIMS II is a collection of military quotes and commentaries derived from the work of Col. Sebastian Wilder (ret.), whose innovative military strategies, tactics, and thought sets him apart from other military leaders. In many ways, his tactics of mistakes, allowing an enemy commander to basically defeat himself, harkens back to Sun Tzu, and more recently to Air Force Colonel John Boyd, with his invention and application of the OODA (observe, orient, decide, act) Loop, with both Sun Tzu and Boyd's emphasis on understanding the ground, mindset of the enemy (especially, the commander), his needs and intents, and the necessity for intelligence and speed of decision making and action. And, most of all, the understanding that the best war is the one not fought. These maxims go from the esoteric, to direct down-to-earth, practical advice. These maxims can appeal to readers on a personal level and to those interested in military science, in general.

Nothing Works, the first book in the Nothing Series, is a book of blending and struggle, similar to the practices and philosophies that are the subject of the poems. The poems reflect personal study, thought, and practice in Aikido, (Zen) Buddhism, meditation, and, the Tao, combined with a Western overview. The book is a personal examination and exploration in poetic format, blending personal tales of discovery and direct experience, with more distant and imagined poems. The poems are heavily influenced by the styles of classical Chinese and Japanese poetry, particularly the landscape tradition of Chinese poetry of Mountains-and-Rivers, which emphasizes the wilder aspects of landscape, and with Fields-and-Gardens, representing the more domestic aspects of landscape. The author has added a third category he calls Concrete-and-Steel, based on a more modern, urban perspective, but still inspired by and honoring the prior Chinese poetic traditions. This second edition has been completely revised and expanded. All books in the series are standalone, and do not need to be read in any type of order.

Book of Unwisdom - Conversing in Silence is a book of poetry and meditations on the sacred and the profane, with a touch of science thrown in just to mix things up a bit, and to add some modernity to the discussion. Basically, the book is composed of commentaries and hopefully insights, into matters of religion, mysticism, and everyday life. There is perhaps nothing new or novel in this book, only familiar ideas, questions, and answers that have been reframed into, hopefully, more easily understood concepts and explanations. But, it is in the process of reframing that new insights may arise. The poems in this book are intentionally not particularly long and can be read in any order, there is no specific classification or ostensible ordering, though some pairings will be apparent.

This book would not exist without the current pandemic. I was working on two other books before the pandemic hit, but got sidetracked into this project somewhere along the way. My mind just seemed to classify things pre-pandemic and pandemic, with the pandemic work taking on a somewhat different tone, as expressed in this book of poetry. Poetry can cover a lot of topics, as do the poems in this book. However, most of the poems here fall under the category of "strange", as in they may be considered unusual or surprising.....Poems on weird stuff - from sci-fi, to love, to politics. Weird also in that these topics are brought together at all, and yet have a sort of symmetry that seems to make "strange" a normal part of our lives - as it seems to have become.

War is armed conflict. It is generally characterized by extreme aggression, destruction, and mortality. In other words, things blow up, and people bleed and die, usually for some over-reaching reason beyond immediate survival, as determined by someone else in some kind of power structure. People and societies wage war for various reasons, but, bottom-line, combatants and civilians die. Many times in the most cruel of ways. The poems in this volume, the second in the War series, talk about war, battle, loss, and their consequences. Only survivors and history can decide if a war was worth it, but who asks the dead? Cold, hard facts Can actually be much warmer Than inflexible, hot opinions Spite and venom are not facts Divisiveness does not make us free Hatred does not make us brave War is not peace by other means James Darwin

Newly expanded and updated. The Trump administration is so unique that there are few comparables of it in American history. Each day seems to bring something new, things that also seem to be self-inflicted wounds. A Presidency driven by tweets, while perhaps a sign of the times, does not seem to be a wise form of governance. The poems in this volume reflect the author's viewpoint and interpretation of a very unique, to say the least, presidency. This current edition has been newly expanded and updated, though at the time of press, things, within this administration, seem to be happening on a daily basis, so it is hard to keep up. So, there is always the possibility then, of Son of Trumpets....!!