Worlds Apart

Beth Richards writes: "My poetry probably reflects the inside image of my thoughts-sometimes very deep thoughts. I write from the heart and sometimes when I'm in a reflective mood my poetry is serious and somewhat philosophical." This collection of poems is a result of Beth's suggestion to Charles Muller that they produce a book that combines their gifts. Beth says: "Charles and I have led two very different lives, and it shows in our writing-hence the title Worlds Apart. Apart from having been born in different hemispheres, we are two very different people, but we appear to be kindred spirits in many ways. (Both born under the star sign of Leo!)" The poems by Charles Muller are perhaps more startling, with jagged images and sentences that cut like broken glass, sometimes exposing the raw nerves of life. Many of these were composed in the context of Apartheid South Africa and recall the violence and injustices of those times. Beth and Charles are also artists, and the cover depicts a painting by each of the poet-paintings that highlight their contrasting worlds.