Introduction

A gallimaufry is a medley of things, originally a culinary term for a stew. One could equally call it a hash, a potpourri or even a hotchpotch. Whichever term you choose, I hope you enjoy this particular recipe, finding it to your taste and easily digestible. It is spiced with ingredients drawn from several countries, moods and styles.

Cover Picture

The cover picture, which is a composite portrait of the author and his wife, by his daughter, Anna, is from a photographic exhibition called Mixed Emotions, described in The Sydney Daily Telegraph as ‘an act of metaphorical self-creation’. That could be said of some of these poems, too.