I have been able to get the price of my book reduced. Please note that it is easily available as an eBook for ten dollars Canadian. I have provided a link on the main page, where you can also read the first four poems. I have composed a new poem, a seven-stanza, crass, anti-woke diatribe. I intend this to be my main and final involvement in the cultural wars, to go along with Mao Would Be Proud and Literary Goons found in Notes from Oblivion. It is called Probably, Not Necessarily and begins

Probably, not necessarily,
your new-born baby really is a boy
But freaks whisper that you can not be certain
until it has selected its first toy

     I have recently completed a new poem, The Birds of Courtenay. It is ten stanzas long, featuring geese, finches, robins, crows, pigeons, seagulls, starlings, and eagles. Here is the opening stanza and a picture of Courtenay.

A pleasant little island town
nestled in a serene valley
Life’s winding road has lead me here
and so I contemplate and dally
 

Herbed Cream Cheese on Ritz Cracker
By Gary Russo   August 2023
 
“Despise not the day of small things”
said Zechariah, the biblical prophet
So, we will take a humble, yet perfect, Ritz cracker
and add something artful to top off it
 
Verily, verily, chopped finely,
fresh basil, marjoram, and dill,
character, color, intrigue, and flavor
in our simple canape instill
 
Only the finest cream cheese will do,
please pardon my insistency
Place cold in a bowl and with a handheld mixer
beat with the herbs just enough for a piping consistency
 
In everything simple there are always nuances,
the piping bag should not be more than half filled,
and don’t pipe too close to the edge of the cracker
or your soiled-fingered guests will be less than thrilled
 
Remove the tops and the bottoms of red and yellow bell peppers
Lay skin-side down, deseed, and remove the membrane
with a sharp slicer knife and, for perfection,
carefully, accurately, evenly plane 
 
Cut them into strips about one inch wide
and then into handsome spear-like decorations
This little extra step will help to ensure that
you exceed everyone’s expectations