a tes beaux yeux! is a toast,'to your beautiful eyes'It was taught to me as a boy by my swiss aunt on family holidays in Switzerland. It is also the title of the poem which began this collection.Seeing a gifted young actress brilliantly perform her first major role on stage,I knew what the substance of the poem was about.It was a celebration not only of her beautiful eyes but the strengh and sensitivity of her acting.This combination set a fire alight that spawned a large number of poems,some of which are in this collection.Poems on Life and the Sacred followed naturally.They played the role of otherness, some in fun,like 'Chairman of the Board', some in sorrow, like,'The empty room'. These poems are as close to me as someone can get, they show how I view a woman who I admire and will surely never meet but one I wish to honour in verse.