Shadow Talk

Death. It is taboo. It is guaranteed. And it is universally impactful. It hurts. It is liberating. It is real.

How do you start a book about something you have only experienced second hand? With a poem, I decided. Some words, to attempt to conjure the imagery and sentiment of death within its traditional vista; something to fear and run away from. There are few, perhaps even no words that offer hope from my Introductory death poem.

But don't worry; that will change as we progress through the chapters, and more truth is unveiled. That's the journey we are about to embark on; from darkness to light, from illusion to reality, from silence to song. This is the journey of life reaching its inevitable destination, as witnessed through the aging eyes of this author and expressed to bring hope and comfort where it is sought, moments of perspective and wisdom; a meaningful insight into death in a world that it feels is determined to distract and defer from its directive.

Shadow Talk is a combination of poems, real-life stories, observation and gratitude for life. It is my story. Read it and be inspired to come to terms with death's inevitability and accept your own life circumstances and experiences.

This book is deliberately my least conventional to date; why? Well, simply put, I aim to create thinking where droughts of thought persist. I want you to feel uncomfortable and ready to act, not just read each chapter with inevitable passivity, as often happens with self-help books that provide a temporary stirring during the moment but ultimately gather dust on the shelf.

So don't be put off or run from the subject with all its awkwardness and difficulty. Dive in and find comfort and purpose in death, as best as anybody can.