Let me Introduce you to Shadowlands

 

Author’s Preface

In his book Shadowlands, C.S. Lewis used the term to describe the human experience of suffering, grief, and the darker aspects of life. The title ‘Shadowlands’ suggests a place where darkness and light coexist, and the book explores themes of loss, love, and the human condition. In my collection of poems, titled, Shadowlands, I explore that mystical realm where the living and the dead overlap or co-exist.

Before assembling this collection I realised I had a large and diverse range of unpublished poems but I didn’t want to assemble such a rattle-bag. As I read and re-read the poems it became clear to me that there was (within the complete body of work) an overarching theme for a segment of the work – that of LOSS, and this theme could have four sub categories.

First, there were poems about Loss of childhood and moments remembered. We all have these, and I am still astonished at the treasure to be found when excavating that place. As childhood passes there is loss of innocence. Nevertheless we have memories, be they precious or harrowing. Even the ordinary can be transfigured into something of great value by the alchemy of poetry.

Second, there was a cluster of poems about loss in LOVE. I seem to recall seeing a video clip of Alfred Hitchcock in which he describes movies as a series of moments. How true that is in his iconic films. As I think about Rear Window, Dial ‘M’ for Murder, Vertigo, Psycho... scenes flash into my mind, as I’m sure you, the reader, will also have such moments embedded in your conscious and even subconscious thoughts. For me, loss in love has been a rich seem of gold. Those moments remembered, honed and crafted into poetry have been cathartic and therapeutic.

Third, as we all know, eventually there is loss of life itself. As we grow older we see friends and family pass away. What we have left are memories. All of these memories of moments (in childhood and its passing, in love and loss, of life coming to an end) reveal that there is an abode, a Shadowlands, where the spirit lives on. If we nurture such thoughts it is truly astonishing to come to realise that all of these reside in our heads as phantoms of things we may have thought to be dead. And poetry does not merely embalm, entomb or simply memorialise. Poetry breathes life into those memories and moments, animating them.

The fourth and final category of loss in this work is loss of humanity. Following the inhumane attack of Hamas on Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023 and the ensuing Israeli war in Gaza with its shocking scenes of death and devastation on such a scale I felt there was, occurring before our eyes, through TV and social media, the greatest loss, the loss of humanity. The last group of poems attempts to stimulate compassion for the ordinary Palestinian people caught up in this conflict. Of course the plight of the Palestinian people did not begin with this latest war. The first Nakba (catastrophe) occurred in 1948 with the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians during the Arab-Israeli war, hence my poem, ‘The Second Nakba’. It is important to remember this history because the Hamas killing of Israelis on October 7, 2023 is not the beginning of the conflict. One does not start watching a movie in the middle, so let us rewind to the beginning.

By focusing on these four categories of loss I have had to leave out many poems that I would otherwise be excited to share. The cull left me with a smaller number of poems but the unifying theme, I trust, has made it worthwhile, especially as it will give the reader a coherent focus, rather than flitting from one theme to another, over and over again. I can say that in my humble opinion, I have had to make the difficult choice of leaving out good/better poems because they don’t fit the theme but they may make it to another collection at another time. For now, here is my offering. I hope you find that it resonates with you and that it is worthwhile reading.

Kieran Beville