Songs of the Salt Pond

<p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Debut poet Michael Hayes distills the last 20 years of his life in Key West into a moving collection of 40+ poems and dozens of pictures - each evoking the senses and stirring a deep well of emotions from author to reader.</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Inspired by the French Symbolists and the social realism of the 1930s and 40s Michael Hayes presents a vulnerable and evocative poetry collection that carries depth in each stanza. The collection of over 40 poems and photographs chronicle a season in his life and are divided into three parts:</span></p><ul><li><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>An Autobiography of Loss</span></li><li><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>One Human Family</span></li><li><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Age: A Predatory Fish</span></li></ul><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Flipping between poems about life in general and the natural beauty of Key West Michael deftly uses free-verse poems to illustrate the many parts of his life. Among the most poignant are She Knew and Wind-Blown Memories both of which deal with the author's loss of his wife of 45 years.</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Deeply personal incredibly touching and written for all readers not just poetry lovers </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Songs of the Salt Pond</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> captures the very essence of what it means to be human and feel a wide range of emotions - from happiness to grief to loneliness to joy tinged with guilt - and everything in between.</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Poetry lovers will want </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Songs of the Salt Pond </em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>on their shelves but they're not the only ones who will enjoy it. Key West residents widowers and readers with a penchant for meaningful narratives will devour the poems in </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Songs of the Salt Pond</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)> as well.</span></p>