In The North I Saw Polaris: Collected Poems

here i am
bent into the crease of my life

lost in the fold

the turn of the page

When the pressures of daily life threaten to overwhelm us, we forget to return to what matters most: nature, love, the people we care about. We forget ourselves. We live in the future, constantly waiting for the page to turn, instead of living in the present.

In the North I Saw Polaris reminds us to notice the world around us. To find inspiration-whether joyful or sorrowful-from our experiences. They can be the fuel to drive us creatively, as they have for poet Vernon Silver. For over fifty years, he's found poems in the smallest moments and in life-changing ones. A snippet of dialogue, scuba diving the shipwrecks of Lake Superior, a global event like Tiananmen Square-a poem can emerge from any experience.

With a minimalist style, these poems explore themes of nature, love, human nature, and politics. They reveal the ways a past love can haunt the present, reflect on the beauty of nature, and shed light on Indigenous issues in Canada. Singular and poignant, In the North I Saw Polaris shows how poetry can return us back to ourselves, if we allow it. This collection includes poems from 1976 to present.