Miami poet Ron Feldheim is the author of a new “chapbook’ from Hallard Press: Butterflies, Snowbirds, and Passions: Poems and Fantasies.
A chapbook is a small publication, often poetry. (Ron’s book is just 67 pages.) In early modern Europe a chapbook was a type of printed street literature. A chapbook excerpts the general aesthetic of the author, while allowing a little leeway for them to explore either something new, like style or form, or topic that might not fill a book.
The term “chapbook” for this type of literature was coined in the 19th century. The corresponding French term is bibliothèque bleue (blue library) because they were often wrapped in cheap blue paper that was usually reserved as a wrapping for sugar.
Writing poems since high school, he was recently encouraged to pull them together into book form. He is also a writer of essays. Some of his work has been included in newsletters and websites. Ron is a member of the South Florida Writers Association and has received recognition from the organization for his poetry.
Ron’s work shows spirituality, emotion, and his ever-present connection with nature. He also displays a wry sense of humor. In one poem imagines two birds (a frigate bird and a turkey vulture) having a conversation while soaring high over the Miami causeway.
“This little booklet is a collection of some of my favorite compositions.” Ron says. “I wrote them over a long span of years, and they reveal several facets of my individuality. The discerning reader might notice little lessons in some of these works. I generally write only when some event inspires me, or when I have something to say. Sometimes a song will catch my fancy, and I’ll use the rhythm to compose an entirely new poem.
“Composing haiku began as an exercise while travelling extensively for work. I contrived to paint word pictures of my experiences to share with my girlfriend as I moved around solo from place to place.
“I have gathered these writings into three general categories. Spirituality includes my religious practice as a Jew, as well as my connection to the higher-vibrational realm of spirit. Nature reflects my life-long passion for being out in the natural world, studying it, and understanding it. Emotion includes poems about love, desire, sadness, joy, and other feelings. As an addendum I have added some new works which I wrote from quarantine.”
Visit Ron’s Hallard Press author page to learn more about him and to get your own copy of “Butterflies” from Amazon.
