from 'The Wheel'Lost againSomewhere on the road to ruinBetween Rio and the rain.from 'The Formula'Lemons, chilled by the moon,Cool globes of a fever contained,Held in the hand, protection from passion,Flickering like a mirror on a hill,Tears in the rays of the sun catching wild fire;And, proof against the smart of lost love,The ice-green apples of desire.from 'In the Paris Cafe Then'The grounded cafe pilots speculate,Blowing uncertain eddying smoke rings throughThe blue of the blue of the blue ...from 'The Capital'Sleepy city with its slaves,Who believe themselves free,Wrapped in conversation, lappingLike sleepy waves upon a sleepy sea. Peter Stark began writing poems at the age of 16. It became his only vocation and he maintained a fidelity to it throughout his life, although he made a living initially as a photographer and later as a trader in art and certain SE Asian antiquities. His first book, 'Tomorrow's Ghosts', was a limited edition, illustrated by etchings and engravings by the Australian artist Arthur Boyd. This was followed by 'Anubis Midway', 'The Dream Trade', 'Thirty-Six and a Half Unwritten Poems' and now 'On the River Misnomer'. He has lived in a number of countries - France, Spain, United States, Switzerland, Brazil, Australia, Singapore and other parts of SE Asia and Hong Kong among them. He had a number of one act plays performed at the time of Anubis Midway. He currently lives in London with his wife and daughter. - from Amzon