Water has always been a constant theme in Gordon Meade’s poetry, from his earliest memories of the West Sands at St Andrews, through the Northumberland coastline, via County Cork and the canals of Venice, to the beaches and harbours of the East Neuk of Fife. Another prevalent theme in his work is the experience of a variety of non-human animals, whether encountered in the wild or in captivity, either free or abused. A more recent theme has been the poet’s own experience of Stage Three and Stage Four Cancer; its diagnosis, its treatment, and life with a terminal illness. All of the above areas are represented in Beyond the Ninth Wave which closes with over a dozen new poems published here, in book form, for the first time.
