"I wrote these poems in and around the year I was 51 years old. It proved to be a momentous year. The last time I wrote poetry like this I was a teenager. In the intervening decades I have lived and loved my life largely without poetry, of the written-down kind at any rate.

In the beginning, these poems were just for me, an astonishing gift. They have taken me to wonderful places and they have helped me to heal wounds I have carried, mostly without realising or understanding, for a long time.  I have decided to publish them partly to honour my experience and partly in the hope that they will fall into the hands of others who may enjoy and resonate with them."

Victoria

Victoria is a university lecturer and is currently researching the development of resilience. She lives in Chester, UK. She is married with two children.