Rex’s fifth book of poetry

A Crowland man has published his fifth book of poetry inspired by the Fens.

Rex Sly has released My Ancestral Home The Fens which he describes as “poems of life in an ever-changing world”.

Rex said: “Our family have always been farmers, an industry that has watched depressions, recessions, floods, wars and political influences.

“Some generations have prospered, some have not; those are the challenges of farming the fens, in which our roots are deeply embedded.

“My earliest farm memories are from the Second World War years, when fen soils were exploited to their limit in producing food for the nation.

“Man and horsepower were being superseded by tractors and machines, agro-chemicals and artificial fertilisers; a new way of farming that would never be reversed. Large agro-businesses began farming with little or no labour setting foot on fen soils.

“Poetry comes from the heart, expressing emotions and feelings in words written not for gain but from the love of subjects we regard as significant to life.

“I have always dabbled with poetry, trying to transcribe thoughts into poetic form, although never intending to publish.

“But it occurred to me, as I entered my four-score years, that if my poems were not put to paper no one would ever read these personal thoughts in verse.

“I hope someone, somewhere, one day will read and remember my Fen world.

“As we grow older the mind tends to reminisce on our past lives. This inevitability is reflected in my poems, recalling events without regret, prejudice, or envying any other way of life.

“These fens are my birthplace, my workplace, my playground and, just like my ancestors, will one day be my resting place. I would choose no other.”

My Ancestral Home The Fens is available for £10.99 from www.ypdbooks.com