Descent Before the Surprise
by Marcel Aime Duclos
80 pages, 49 poems
Price: $11.95
ISBN: 9781796305487
Publisher: Black Forest Publishing
To Order: Amazon.com


ABOUT THE BOOK:


Descent Before the Surprise, is the latest of poet Marcel Aime Duclos’ nine books of
poetry. As in a previous collection, In the Moment, Duclos treats his lucky readers to
poems written in the sanctuary of the sunrise hours—poems reflecting the poet’s
considered thought on some of life’s most important subjects: love, faith, falling short of
expectations, sexuality, the passing of time or more precisely, the galloping of time, to
name but a few of Duclos’ themes that meet us where we live. It has been said that true
art is not only beautiful but also useful. Descent Before the Surprise, excels in both
aspects of this truism.


ADVANCE PRAISE:


Reading "Descent Before the Surprise", by Marcel Aime Duclos, was an indulgence into
a world both resonant and visceral. Taking from one of his poems, "Let Fullness Carry
Me", the author's writing both filled and carried my heart to hold space for the paradox of
life, which is, after all, our human experience. Themes of permanence/impermanence and
grounding/mysticism follow the gentle thread of personal and spiritual transformation.
The author's words weave together an experience of joy in the single moments of life,
awash in the colors of creation itself."
—Susan Harman is a published poet who says, reading and writing poetry is
essential to my being.


In Descent Before the Surprise, Marcel Duclos takes us on a retrospective journey of
hope and wonder in the company of animals, lovers, philosophers, poets, and the Divine
—urging us to “let stardust find its brilliance on the walls of our pulsing cells.” His
poems are full of perceptive truths, including “to love in spite of all the codes—that is the
good—that is the thing.” Best yet, he holds the reader’s hand bravely as he embraces
advanced age and the impending rebirth at the threshold of death—inviting all to “crown
into the blinding light.”
—Sandi Rae Rhynard, a poet for over 30 years, is currently President of the Poetry Society
of Colorado.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Marcel A. Duclos enjoyed an academic career as a professor of psychology and
philosophy, as well as a college administrator for 28 years. He practiced psychotherapy
for nearly fifty years and is currently a licensed professional counselor. He writes both
prose and poetry, experiments as an amateur oil painter, and is learning to play the piano.
He is a member of the Academy of American Poets and of the Poetry Society of Colorado.
He has attended the Western State Colorado University’s annual literary conference,
“Writing the Rockies,” and is a member of the Florence Colorado Writer’s
Critique Group.

FROM THE BOOK:


A Down East Maine Marriage in Four Movements
by Marcel Aime Duclos


at dawn
dreamy lingering fog
stretches content
on the rocky shore
after sleeping
wet and lusty
with the ocean’s
shapely coast

winds howl
twist and fold snapdragons
dance irises wildly with peonies
dry out old-growth forests
rip withered limbs
toss them on beds of brittle grasses
for the necessary inferno

we turn to each other
you swim in to shore
i wade out to greet you
the air has stilled — eventide
we suffer change
stand together
mingle our tears
take an oceanic breath

we settle into the seasons
breathe in the elements
of clustered wildflowers
let stardust find its brilliance
on the walls of our pulsing cells
welcome ocean mist dreaming us awake
eyes rinsed of yesteryear’s ashes
follow the tides — harvest fresh seaweed
 

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