Words and images are innumerable. They are like fish, varied in size and species. They serve a purpose — to feed and to nurture. They swim circles around us. They bewilder and they beguile and, most often, their beauty and their mystery strike us with awe and wonderment.
THERE WILL BE FISH is Peter Hrastovec's third volume of poetry. It is a celebration of life's constant joys?family and friendship, travel and discovery, the icons who inspire and stir our souls. This is eclectic writing covering many themes and locales as diverse as baseball stadiums, jazz clubs, a doctor's office, or scenes from the street. Penned both abroad and at home, this collection of poems draws upon recent events and journeys — pre—pandemic travels to Croatia and the glorious islands of Dalmatia, road trips into the U.S. and the pleasures (and pitfalls) of cottaging in his native Ontario. Here, you will find humour (memories of first dates, tussles with technology and the finer points of skinny dipping) and pathos (honouring memories of loved ones as in a father who shares the painful news of the death of a child). The tension and isolation that has gripped the world these last two years were unprecedented.
The pause in civilization's ongoing march has afforded an opportunity for this poet/lawyer to sit back and take stock of those things that are truly vital. Whether it is the act of observing nature's serenity, celebrating a coveted baseball legend, or embracing music and art in all their manifestations, Hrastovec has constructed personal reflections with language and images meant to draw and catch the reader's attention.