Poems to a Glass Woman

Thought these might interest you. I wrote them 17
to 18, at Varsity. They are uneven poems; but I think they express the self-consciousness, the touch of hysteria, yet the very real desolation of adolescent love – so easy
for people to sneeze at, yet leaving permanent changes
in the structure of the heart & mind.

These poems were written in 1944–1945, and gathered into a sequence in about 1957, but never published. They record the immediate impact of James K. Baxter’s first serious love affair. It was a relationship that affected him profoundly, and to which he returned time and time again in his later work.

Poems to a Glass Woman is published for the fortieth anniversary of the death of James K. Baxter, 22 October 2012. It includes a substantial biographical essay by the editor, John Weir. A close friend and confidant of James K. Baxter, John Weir is the editor of the major editions of the poet’s works, including Collected Poems (1979) and Complete Prose (2015).