Life Songs: A Selection of Poems

Life Songs is a collection of over three hundred poems reflecting the author’s outlook, philosophy and values as an artist, a writer, a poet and a human being. They are personal poems. They are mirrors to the world through the lens of poetry. They do not aspire (as the writer’s other works have) to change the reader’s heart or mind. They simply reflect the poet’s reality over his decades of existence. These poems contain a great affection and empathy for others within and without the poet’s life. As he states in the introduction: For though I despise cruelty and injustice I have always believed that humans are in their essence good and kind. It is only when the indignities of life alter the fundamentals of the self that humans tend to do heartless things.

Life Songs also reflect the poet’s great love of nature and an overriding respect for art and artists. Poetry has long been like a secret love for which I never had enough time. In this work, after decades devoted to plays, novels and political essays, Jack Random made the time in the hope that readers may find in it some joy and inspiration.