In my poem 'Life's Vagaries' I describe observations of a tattooed female, shuffling along in the market place with her boyfriend and the sign on a nearby church inviting people to 'light candles'. My emotional response is to juxtapose the meaning of love with religion. This book of poems expresses a wide range of experiences as I create responses to major themes in life such as birth, love and death. Covering over seventy years, the poems show how an early religious upbringing can leave its almost 'Freudian' imprint. This can be seen in 'Lessons of War' one of my early memories. My interest in philosophy is demonstrated in the poem 'Stages of Life in a Dressing Gown' where I reach a mid-life crisis and almost press the self destruct button...but thankfully recover to continue the journey. Hope you will join the journey with me and see life from a different perspective.

Powell, Thomas Reed. Vagaries and Varieties in Constitutional Interpretation. New York: Columbia University Press, 1956. xv, 229 pp. Reprinted 2002 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. ISBN 1-58477-210-7. Cloth. $70. * With a Foreword by Paul A. Freund. Published versions of the James S. Carpentier lectures delivered by Powell [1880-1955] at Columbia University in 1955. Its chapters include "Establishment of Judicial Review," "Professions and Practices in Judicial Review," "National Power," "Federalism: Intergovernmental Relations," "Federalism: State Powers Affecting the National Economy; State Police Power" and "Federalism: State Powers Affecting the National Economy; State Taxing Power."

In Vagaries of Desire, Timo Airaksinen develops a new philosophical account of desire understood as mental state that focuses on a desirable possible world. Literary and philosophical themes, including sexuality, are discussed in terms of their metaphoric and metonymic features.