The White Comrade, and Other Poems

This collection of poems transports you to Canada during the First World War, where the rumble of distant battlefields meets the quiet cadence of everyday life. Through the voices of young soldiers and their families, the verses capture the sudden shock of war, the longing for home, and the uneasy shift from peacetime to the front lines. The language is immediate and lyrical, letting you hear the crackle of trench fire and the soft whistle of a penny‑flute on a summer night.

The poems swing between muddy trenches near Ypres and the familiar streets of Quebec, juxtaposing combat’s starkness with the comforting rituals of knitting, letters, and village gossip. Moments like the first bulletin announcing “Germany says” sit beside quiet reflections on comrades lost, offering an intimate glimpse of a nation grappling with conflict. Listeners will feel the tension between fear and camaraderie, the search for purpose, and the resilient hope that threads through every stanza.