Author Description

After being employed for over 35 years in a diverse range of technical occupations around the world, Francis Jane was the subject of a life changing event at work. The outcome of this quickly developed as the double edged sword of anxiety and depression which then proceeded to consume his life and the lives of those closest to him for years afterwards.The normally inquisitive mind of Jane was without any terms of reference to help him understand his mental issues, (let alone resolve them), and initially he struggled on many levels. Finally, in desperation, Jane left work and came under the care of the NHS and other mental health professionals.Baring his soul to these complete strangers he was finally able to begin to understand that he was not alone and that sense could be made of the dark cloud which had enveloped him.The verses presented in this book identify and characterise a deeply personal and traumatic period in Jane's life. Robbed of the ability to express his thoughts and feelings in the spoken word as a result of his mental issues, his inner self somehow found a new way to make itself heard.The chronologically arranged poems reflect both the moods encountered and also have partly served as a means of rehabilitation from his mental issues. Working with mental health professionals, the compilation and publication of this book became both an attainable target and distraction from Jane's woes.Accompanying notes add context and insight into the mood portrayed in each of the individual verses.