This debut modern poetry collection from Australian author Cara Bruar reflects on human folly and our fragile relationships with ourselves, each other, and the world around us.
Thirty-one free verse poems, some in haiku form, and four pieces of short prose explore the honest, raw memories and emotions that we often hide. Some are playful, some sad or shocking.
The poems generally have a domestic focus, creating sensitive portraits of the small moments of family and daily life, and the challenges of living with nature and Australian wildlife. Some look wider, drawing on tragic events like the Canberra wildfires or venturing into fantasy or speculative worlds with an artificial intelligence confessor or trolls under a city bridge.
The collection is divided into three parts. Hearts looks within. So Human explores our connections outside ourselves, so often silly or futile. Circles draws the reader into the cycles of life, from childhood through to ageing and death, or the passage of time, from creation to destruction to renewal.
