Cherry Blossom Spring

Mr. Lordan’s fourth book of poetry deals with Japanese influences including several tanka. He honed his skills in this shorter poetical form by writing poems on Twitter as @NJLordan. Other influences include “A Song Of Everlasting Sorrow” an epic poem from the Tang Dynasty of China. Mr. Lordan also delved into his own ancestry for poems including his Micmac heritage. Other influences include his Norwegian grandfather, Norman Gustav Carlson, who gave his life for his adopted country as a P.O.W. Mr. Lordan does not include any poems in Spanish in this collection because he is currently at work on a collection of sonnets written entirely in that romance language. As with all of his collections, Mr. Lordan revisits the past as well as looking into the future. It should be noted that although there are autobiographical aspects to many of the poems included here and in other collections, the poems should not be read exclusively as a literal account of the poet’s life. Many things inspire a poet in every day life. These ideas and images then become part of the process that goes into crafting a work of art. Sometimes this process takes years, even a lifetime, to complete. Love is like that too. It is a journey of exploration and learning that never ends. The only advice that Mr. Lordan can give to his readers or to those interested in writing is that they need to read and to live their own lives. The skills necessary in writing anything are most easily learned by studying those who have already come before you. Learn from their mistakes and copy their successes while you search for your own voice. Living your own life, loving others and being loved in return, or not, gives you the basics for writing believable stories and poems. Cherry Blossom Spring takes advantage of all of these things. Love and romance are found within its pages.