The author, a lawyer by profession, is also a keen writer of poems and has been publishing, at two-year intervals, collections of his poems. I have previously reviewed some of his books.

Like the ones that came before it, this anthology consists of poems written by the author since the publication of the preceding volume, Erbatax-il vers. All are dated as to the date when they were written and many seem to have been written between 2012 and 2014. Doubtless, poems written after this period will be published in later anthologies.

The author has a way with words and his poems are easy to read and comprehend. This does not mean, however, that a reader can understand the poems in their context. The majority of them have the author addressing another person who is never named, and with whom the poet has, or seems to have, a rather complicated relationship.

The poet is also inspired by scenes from the countryside of Gozo not just in the idyllic days of summer but also in the stormy days of winter.

Some of the poems have a religious inspiration, at least as far as the title goes - Et resurrexit tertia die or Sirak 9.19 but the context is not religious at all.

Although the timeline of these poems goes back to a turbulent time in our history, I could not find any reference to the Maltese context.

Except maybe in this, written in 2009:

Fi Pjazza Reġina
Fi Pjazza Reġina nixrob il-birra,
Niskanta bin-nisa għaddejjin,
Nisa jitbissmu, nisa ħelwin.

Rajt lill-President Emeritus
Jippassiġġa,
Ħadd ma jsellimlu
Jew jitbissimlu
Għax żmienu għadda.

Rajt prim imħallef b'xagħru qotnija
Kulħadd lil hinn minnu
Iżda ħaddiehor xejn ma jrid minnu
Barra gżiritna.

Imbaghad rajt mara ħelwa
Mara sabiħa
Mara Maltija
Sbuħitha f'moħħi
Ma tkunx minsija.

Lil hinn hemm prim ministru
Wiċċu fuq kartellun
U dan kemm isarraf?
U dan kemm se jdum?

Iżda s-sbuħija ta' mara Maltija
Mara godlija
Qatt mhi mormija
Tal-inqas għalija.

Fi Pjazza Reġina nixrob il-birra
Niskanta bin-nisa għaddejjin
Nisa jitbissmu
Nisa ħelwin.