Songs of the Salt Pond: 20 years in Key West

Debut poet Michael Hayes distills the last 20 years of his life in Key West into a moving collection of 40+ poems and dozens of pictures - each evoking the senses and stirring a deep well of emotions from author to reader.

Inspired by the French Symbolists and the social realism of the 1930s and 40s, Michael Hayes presents a vulnerable and evocative poetry collection that carries depth in each stanza. The collection of over 40 poems and photographs chronicle a season in his life and are divided into three parts:

• An Autobiography of Loss
• One Human Family
• Age: A Predatory Fish

Flipping between poems about life in general and the natural beauty of Key West, Michael deftly uses free-verse poems to illustrate the many parts of his life. Among the most poignant are "She Knew" and "Wind-Blown Memories," both of which deal with the author's loss of his wife of 45 years.

Deeply personal, incredibly touching, and written for all readers, not just poetry lovers, Songs of the Salt Pond captures the very essence of what it means to be human and feel a wide range of emotions - from happiness, to grief, to loneliness, to joy tinged with guilt - and everything in between.

Poetry lovers will want Songs of the Salt Pond on their shelves, but they're not the only ones who will enjoy it. Key West residents, widowers, and readers with a penchant for meaningful narratives will devour the poems in Songs of the Salt Pond as well.