A Cup of Storm - My First Book

Foreword
If there is truth in these pages
It is yours, ya Saidi.
If there is deceit
It is my own conceit.

There was once a Sufi boss. And he had a sinner as a neighbour. This neighbour used to constantly trouble the Sufi boss by sending him a collection of prose on irregular intervals. The above quoted Foreword was the beginning of it all. As years passed, the collection grew to over 2,000 prose and short stories. and coming into the 5th year, the sinner asked the Sufi, "I would like to publish the poems, what do you think, ya Saidi?" To which he gave a simple and short reply, "Go global, don't go local." Err. Okay.

The sinner left pondering the reply and thinking to himself, "Yea, man... but easier said than done." Forward 3 years and on 22nd April this year, an American named Russell Streur (Editor and Barkeep of the Poetry Website 'The Camel Saloon' - Click Here for Link) wrote to me and said that he was forming a publishing house for poets, and this was what he said... "In the past few years, I have seen my poetry published in numerous spaces, electronic and print. That experience directly led to my establishment of the Camel Saloon, because I wanted to give to others what others gave to me: a voice in the world, and a place to make a difference in the world. Approaching the first anniversay of the Saloon, I am now taking the next step in my commitment to poetic self-expression bye establishing a publishing company under the name of Poets Democracy. This enterprise will involve the creation of paper books to be available to the friends and familes of poets on a global basis." So together with Christi Kochifos Caceres, Poets Democracy was established - Click Here for Link.

In the same email, Mr. Streur said that he would like to publish a book of my poetry, and whether I would be interested. Would I?! In reply I said yes, of course I would love to work with him. So after a month and a half of frantic emails, first copy print, first revision print, changes to illustrations, grammatical and spelling corrections, second revision print and a third final revision, the book entitled "A Cup of Storm" is now available - Click Here. Whew!

'A Cup of Storm' is a collection of 111 poems with 32 sketches, extracted from my writings and drawings over the course of 8 years, some of which you may have read in this blog. It is uncommented prose, so the poems are naked and interpretation is left entirely to the reader.

When you consider that both Mr. Streur and myself are doing this on the side, you must admit that the quick work from idea to completion is some achievement. And it is one which I must wholly acknowledge Mr. Streur and Ms. Christi for their eye for detail and amazing dedication. Words cannot express my gratitude. I never planned this to happen, though I had my (typically) unreasonable and overly-optimistic hope that the Sufi's advice would manifest itself, somehow, someway and by someone. As it turned out that someone was Russell and Christi.

May your days be graced with the company of friends you never thought you had, who would help fulfill the dream which you thought would never happen. And I mean you too, sunshine... because had you not been reading this strange almanac, I would not have continued writing. Then Russell would not have come across the Sinners Almanac, and alas, 'A Cup of Storm' would still remain in the world of what-ifs and maybes. But it is here, real and now. And just like Love, it simply was meant to be.

Thank you from the bottom of my happy sinning heart.

Pax Taufiqa.