breaking my journey, has been reviewed by two respected poets from New Zealand: Sandra Simpson has posted a review on her website while a review by Patricia Prime has been included in the widely-read New Zealand journal, Kokako.

You can read the full review by Sandra Simpson here. This is some of what Sandra had to say:

breaking my journey is the first solo collection from award-winning Australian poet Gregory Piko, and a volume I’m glad to have added to my bookcase.

For me, Greg is a poet on whom I can rely – if I see his name on a haiku, I know it will be worth reading and that a moment of beauty (whether sad, joyous or wistful) will be added to my day.

he drops his marshmallow
into her hot chocolate
pregnant at last

The ambition of a haiku poet is to capture moments of meaning, which can come in many different guises, and which somehow help us grope towards an understanding of life, ours and all those that surround us. In the ordinariness of daily life we try and find the extraordinary.

after my confession
even the galahs
sit quietly

Haiku are sensual poems and poems of observation and Greg has a deft touch with the telling detail and with choosing the right word . . .

her cotton skirt
falls softly to the ground
steady rain

Patricia Prime is co-editor of the respected international journal, Kokako. Issue 35 of Kokako included a review by Patricia of breaking my journey in which she noted:

We are absorbed and drawn into his world of nature, human nature, the everyday and the beauty that surrounds us. It is usually a world of sunshine, flowers and perfume, with the occasional shower of rain:

a pool of light
outside the window
evening rain

These poems are compelling – bright, colourful and addictive. They have their own heightened reality and identity. Over the years, Piko’s work has become more brightly coloured and individualistic. breaking my journey is more than an attractive haiku book. It is a tribute to Piko’s achievement as a poet who is intimate with the natural world in a format that compliments his ideas.

My sincere thanks both to Sandra and Patricia for taking the time to review my book and for their kind and supportive comments.

You can purchase a copy of breaking my journey here or, if you live in North America, you may wish to purchase a copy direct from the publisher, Red Moon Press.