The Deluge, and Other Poems

The Deluge, and Other Poems by John Presland is a collection of early 20th-century poems that ranges from epic tales to thoughtful sonnets, all while taking on themes of love, the natural world, and humanity’s greatest dreams. The opening poem, "The Deluge," inspired by stories from the Bible, uses myth to think about personal questions. It's a dramatic back and forth between a person searching for truth, his wife, and his mom as they face big fears about life and anger from a higher power and it looks at the conflict between what people want and what happens when they go against what's expected of them, leading to big trouble. The poems that follow, like "To April" and "A Ballad of King Richard," think about love, beauty, and how time passes, often using images from nature to express deep feelings. With its beautiful language and strong images, the collection encourages readers to think about how love, nature, and the search for what's true all connect.