Made of Water

About the Book

When I wrote this book, over a period of about 5 years, I wanted to communicate something of my experience to the reader. Most importantly, I wanted to convey a view of English that the reader may not be familiar with, that it can be an object of play. In writing the book, I forced myself, stretched myself, to play with English, to expand its potential. I took something of an inspiration from Shakespeare, that one can smith words into English to allow it to breathe more freely, and more jocularly. I find myself deeply attracted to the succinctness and clarity of Old English. In extensive use of alliteration, I tried to draw from the oldest poetic source of English.

About the Author

My name is Stephen Emerson Haire, and this book springs from an effort to transmogrify pain into beauty. I spent about 5 years in the process, and I hope that you, the reader, enjoy it. In the beginning, and in several of the poems, I wanted to convey something of the feeling and tact of Old English in modern English; I almost wanted to write some of them in Old English. I also made a painstaking effort to experiment with English, to transform it into something more of a delight for me, and, hopefully, for you. I feel like I wept and swept blood and tears over these poems, and something of my life is contained in them. I live in Jeffersonville, Indiana, a wonderful, riverside town, with friendly people. In my spare time, I like to improve on my knowledge of foreign languages.