He saw their golden cups tossed beside the lake and stored the sight away in his mind to give him a lift whenever he felt vacant or depressed. I treasure the sight of firm-titted women walking on Avenue Road or St., Catherine Street. He didn't pluck every daffodil he celebrated, nor have I every woman I've written poems for and now lay gratefully between the covers of this book. As a young artist on the scene, I heard Layton giving readings at the Bohemian Embassy and other coffeehouses in Toronto and Montreal. Reading some of the poems was like a reunion with old friends, although I had no trouble connecting with those I had never read before.
Themes range from the personal to the universal.
Appropriately, they read like a beautiful poem. The legendary Irving Layton is Canada's pre-eminent man of letters. The cover and drawings throughout the book are by Richard Gorman. Porcupine's Quill books are printed on acid-free Zephyr Antique laid paper. The sheets are folded and sewn into signatures in the traditional manner.