John Mullin

Ode to Friendship John Mullin

'Ode to Friendship' is a trilogy. That is to say it is comprised of three books herein united under one (common) title. Each book has been separately published as a single volume but now would appear that moment in time when three shall become one - a trinity as it were. A very singular experience in the poet's own life is the hidden, albeit dramatic, essence upon which this trilogy is based. It is through a completely selfless act of personal courage, by a treasured friend, when all hope seemed lost, that many of the words included find their inspiration. Even if not obvious to the reader, a certain unbroken thread is woven throughout all 190 poems (and an epilogue) contained between the covers. It aspires to those higher values, such as friendship, which can change our lives for the better and can render the more trivial matters, those that take up so much of our time and energy, quite worthless as the case may be. It makes the 'self' obsolete while vanity is exposed for the shallowness of character that truly defines it. This is the work of classical poetry and the rhyming meters contained throughout bear witness to this highest form of written expression - or so it would be known and appreciated through many previous generations. Rhythmically pleasing, to the eye and ear alike, it can flow across the mind with wondrous ease - yet with the greatest intensity. In here, is the poet's 'rite of passage' - those first flirtations with the traditional poetic craft yet presented in his own unique style. From the infant steps we see in "A Child is Born", through the end of a millennium as witnessed in "The legacy of '99" to the fond farewell given to those lands 'down under' - which gave the poet his first exposure to, and enduring love for, the classical form as shown in "Flight of the Kiwi'. It only now remains, following this briefest of descriptions, to venture within the poet's world and listen to all he has to say - perhaps not all, but there is an considerable array of thoughts and emotions from which even the most critical reader will undoubtedly find something to catch their interest! Within that long 'unbroken' thread which, after all, is the essence of 'Ode to Friendship'.