Sandra Taylor Rouja will be signing copies of her new multilingual book of poetry tomorrow at the Bermuda College.

‘I Sing of the Sea or Canto Do Mar’, is her second book and is in bookstores now.

“Writing has been a way to hold on to those happy moments in life,” said Mrs Rouja. “The book includes pieces written over a period of 30 years. When I published my first book ‘Cottage Diary’, several years ago, it was the same type of work.

“I have had people say ‘you must have a very peaceful life’. Or sometimes people are almost sarcastic saying ‘well, I would like to spend my days drinking mint tea in my garden under the trees like you do’.

“I have had a very complicated life, actually. I have probably lived several lives in this one life already.

“My husband, Pierre, is French, and I have lived in France. I have lived in Bermuda.

“There was a time in my childhood when I lived in New York for two years.

“If I was going to write out the story of my life it could be several different people’s lives which is probably the same for many people.”

“Song of the Sea” has an aquatic theme throughout. She considers the work in the book to be contemplative prose rather than poetry.

In her piece “Cathedral” she writes:

‘How do I forget where I am best? Entering the sea with snorkel and mask I was immediately overtaken by my need of it all.’

The book contains several beautiful underwater photographs by the late photographer Laurence Gould and Mrs Rouja’s son Jean Pierre Rouja.

In a nod to Mrs Rouja’s Portuguese heritage, the poems are written in both English and Portuguese.

The book signing will be in the Bermuda College library at 6pm. Books are $18.

For more information contact Mrs Rouja at cantodomar@northrock.bm.