All Alone at the End of the World

In this hauntingly lyrical and always surprising collection of poetry, Lesley Choyce offers his unique observations of life in all its wonders. Geographically, the poems range from his home in Nova Scotia to Greece, England, Ireland, Italy and New Jersey. Along the way, the poet falls into a well, encounters a dead seal, eavesdrops on university students, drives to the English Channel, hangs up laundry, makes lasagna and has an epiphany while mailing a letter on a snowy day. He learns lessons inside a cancer ward, dreams of having a picnic with Hitler, fights the hostility of an empty page, encounters a world of contradictions and flees from the dark dreams of a North Carolina casino. There are poems of death here but also of healing and hope. In “Reinventing the Poet,” Choyce examines what is needed to revitalize the poet and the poem but also the necessary ingredients for breathing life and vitality back into every waking moment. Jim Morrison offers an important lesson about poetry, fame and madness. Choyce himself dances along the precipice of sanity with poems that consider purpose, growth, hope and, finally, the end of the world. All Alone at the End of the World is a wild ride across real continents and imaginary landscapes for anyone willing to turn off the news and tap into the imagination.