Now available · Roger L. Cowan
Poetic, Pictured, Musical Scenes of Life
Intriguing Glimpses is truly different. It is intended not only for poetry enthusiasts but also for people who rarely read poetry.
Every poem has a story to tell, and they are (mostly) true — derived from the author’s audacious excursion through life. Unlike a conventional poetry collection, there are glimpses of nature’s grandeur, young romance, humorous encounters with bears and cowboys, Western tall tales, a marble outhouse for the pompous, the hard realities of poverty and war, the unexpected pleasures of growing old, and his answer to what awaits at the end of the trail. There are excursions to the wilderness of Patagonia, the Cold War streets of Prague and Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro. Most poems rhyme and each is illustrated, largely with the author’s own photographs that bring their subjects to life.
It is a unique combination of reflection, humor and serious insights. It invites readers to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. You will laugh on one page and fall silent on the next, and you may discover you liked poetry all along.
Is this a poetry book covering diverse experiences of life accompanied by stunning photos that embellish the words?
Or is this a photography book of striking photos from diverse places of the planet enhanced by enticing poems that add luster to the pictures?
You decide after exploring the book.
An excursion through life that combines them all.
Each photo covers a full page of the book.
As you will quickly see from the stanza samples presented below, this is not your ordinary poetry book. Along with the photographs, it is especially written to be irresistibly attractive to people who do not read much poetry.
The following are eight sample stanzas that should convince you why you should read it even if you do not like poetry.
The first glimpse — what do you do when you wake up in your sleeping bag in a remote, lakeside campsite and a huge bear is staring at you from a few inches away? That happened to me. The stanza is taken from the poem “Bear It and Grin”. It is a cliffhanger.
In glowing rays of breaking dawn, I suddenly awokeA friend nearby with quivering voice and trepidation spokeHey Rog, stay still because a bear is sniffing at your faceMy opened eyes confirmed that fact; my heart began to race
Do you ever take a moment to stop what you are doing, look around and see the beauty surrounding you? “Where Beauty Abounds”, of lyrical natural beauty, has you do just that.
There’s beauty in the grandeur of a range of rocky peaksThat harbors sprawling forests, waterfalls and rippling creeksIt deepens when the range becomes a purple silhouetteThat stands against the crimson sky as sun begins to set
Not everyone is the best student all the time and the temptation to put things off can creep into the center of your mind. I know all about it and I write about it in “King of Procrastination”. The question is whether you ever get rid of the habit, and if you do, does it return? I talk about that in a humorous way in the rest of the non-typical poem.
When I was a student, I claimed with elationThat I was the king of procrastinationWhy leave for tomorrow what I could delayWith much greater joy for the following day
What do you do when you are in the midst of the Amazon jungles and the only bridge in 300 miles washes out? “Dugout Canoe on a Raging River” (accompanied by a picture above) tells you about it.
I caught a bus and traveled for three hours; then came a shout“The bridge ahead that we must cross has washed completely out!”There simply were no other bridges; what was I to do?Then someone said that I could risk a crossing by canoe.
Romance can surge in the most interesting places and ways. This is the theme of “Touching Toes”. The end of the poem tells you about what the outcome was in this particular, true story.
By accident but somewhat by designI slowly, gently touched your toes with mineAnd held them there excited by the aweNoticing that you did not withdraw
You might think that I didn’t really observe this happening during the time I spent in the Wild West. That’s up to you. But you surely should want to know what happened next, and the surprise ending will certainly catch your attention. The adventure occurs in “Traveling On” in Western Fantasy and Tall Tales.
The huge brawny stranger with bristling hairCame riding to town on a grizzly bearHis muscles were rippling, his hands — massive clawsAnd strings of raw meat dangled from drooling jaws
The poem “Onion Core” moves beyond scenery and entertainment to problems of poverty and street gangs. It was inspired by the soccer program I have co-directed for the past 24 years to transform youth at risk in the red zones of Guatemala City. The poem explains the curious title.
I came across a youth in jail his skin was scarred, tattooedAn outcast of society his manner violent, lewdCurious I then sought to know how was this youth insideWhat was the nature of his soul what feelings did he hide
Although it is a destination we all face — for those observing the passing of a loved one, it is always the toughest of times. “Getting Through Truly Tough Times” is my own personal true story and how I managed to deal with it. Perhaps it can provide some consolation to those going through similar situations.
I’m writing of matters of much greater scopeA grave situation where there was no hopeObserving my wife lose a battle with deathWatching her breathe out her very last breath.
Buy the book
The price probably is less than the cost of an Uber ride across the city in rush hour traffic.
And this book is an exciting excursion across all of life. Furthermore, you will thoroughly enjoy this journey. While you travel through it, you will get continual glimpses of myriad fascinating scenes. Furthermore, you can repeat the excursion as many times as you want with no extra charge.
The book is available in four formats:
The Kindle price is lower and for avid poetry readers the Kindle version is probably sufficient. But the pictures do not show up adequately. To appreciate the beautiful pictures, it is highly recommended that a hardcover, softcover or PDF format be purchased. The photographs on the hardcover and softcover formats are all full-page.
It should be emphasized that the hardcover and softcover prices are at the lower end of the cost of a typical similar photography book. It is justified by the high quality of the photos and the printing on premium quality paper.
The PDF version is less expensive, but the book is single column so the poems and pictures are not seen side by side. However, you can print it up yourself, bind it and solve that problem.
For readers of the book
One collection · three ways of seeing
Each medium brings its own light while Roger’s original writing remains the collection’s center.
Roger’s original poems form the heart of the collection and are represented as his writing without AI.
Photography and visual compositions extend each scene, including selected digital touch-ups and AI enhancement.
Selected poems are also songs, so their images and cadence travel in another form. Readers of the book can listen to them here.
Nine territories of life
Its nine sections move through wonder, family, wit, remembrance, difficult realities, and spiritual inquiry.
Stay near the work
Visit Roger’s homebase to meet the author and explore his other books and work.
Continue exploring
Meet the author and explore his complete body of work.
↗02 · book Zero DoubtCrossing the Bridge of Faith to Unrivaled Rewards — in development.
↗03 · book Provoking ProsperityRoger’s published work on productive opportunity and migration.
↗04 · practice BRECTSApplied strategy and enterprise work.
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