Tell me again where home is, where inhabit all the holy hours, where someday you will find me. - from "Time Lapse"
Coastlands is Aaron Lee's third collection of poetry. Whether in a small town or frenetic city, the poet has never lived far from the sea. This book documents his life experience as a pilgrim still finding his place in the wider world. In these fifty poems he recollects, explores, embraces and anticipates what is lost and found in each of the places he calls home: Malaysia, Singapore and Hawaii. Everywhere, natural and urban landscapes anchor and influence his identity and connect him to humanity.
In ancient writings "coastlands" means the far reaches of the earth—places accessible only by crossing oceans of unknown magnitude. Truly, life is a voyage from which the traveller never returns.
"Coastlands is shaped and driven by an esemplastic power and a persuasive, lyrical flow. These poems possess a notable immediacy, profound resonance and imaginative unity. By sharing the poet's meditative and philosophical explorations, the reader is enriched in the best possible way." - Edwin Thumboo