Belize Bush Tea and Muddy Waters - by F Daniel Brackett (Paperback)

About the Book

This book of poems reads like a story book.
Learn about life in Teakettle Village in rural Belize where a child could enjoy being a child. Trek deep into the rain forest with the author in "The Road to Roaring River". Share in school adventures and see his determination to live life on his own terms in "Beginnings".
Experience conflicting emotions in "On Leaving Teakettle" as Brackett departs his home village to visit other countries and eventually to settle in the United States. You may see something of yourself in his poetry as he explores the importance of relationships, how to laugh, love deeply, and keep a sense of fun and adventure in life.
Belize Bush Tea and Muddy Waters is for everyone the young and the not so young. It makes a great gift for special occasions. Buy it and Enjoy!

Book Synopsis

F. Daniel Brackett is a new kind of story-telling poet. His voice is loud and clear throughout this book.
The author takes his readers into the life of a young man growing up in a tiny village on the edge of the rainforest in Western Belize.
You will travel with him as a teenager and go to work with him in the banana industrial village of "Cow Pen" in the south or in the Corozal Sugar Factory in the north.
Then you will leave Belize and travel with him into other countries such as Guatemala, Mexico, Canada, and the United States.
In Guatemala you'll imagine a trip to Lake Atitlan in the poem called "My Journey". In other poems, you can see glimpses of the Canadian Rockies, look deep into the blue waters of Lake Louise, visit the North Shores of Lake Superior, experience a cold winter night in Minnesota, and view Mount Shasta in Northern California.
Belize Bush Tea and Muddy Waters is an easy, rewarding read, packed with good humor and intense emotions. You will laugh, cry, think and perhaps remember the first time you ever got a glimpse of someone to love.
Whatever phase of life you are in, you will find something in this poetry book to help you:
-Appreciate what you have
-Face your challenges
-Find expression for both your joy and your sorrow

Buy this book and Enjoy!

About the Author

F. Daniel Brackett, my friend for over thirty years, is a poet and storyteller who grew up in a farming village in rural Belize and presently resides in the United States. Early in his life, Brackett began memorizing selections from the works of such Belizean poets as Leo Bradley and Ray Barrow; but he also recited poems from the works of British and American writers such as William Cowper, Robert Frost, Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes among others.
Throughout high school, and while taking classes at the University of Minnesota, Brackett captivated audiences by reciting poems for them. He has spoken before thousands of people in several countries including Belize, Canada, the United States and Mexico; at political public meetings and conventions, at schools and churches, and at youth rallies.
Besides reciting poems, giving speeches and telling stories, Brackett delights in getting together with family and friends on special occasions, where humor and good food are appreciated. He enjoys fine dining which includes a porterhouse steak, but he wouldn't pass up a hot dog stand in Mexico, nor gravy on his fries when in Canada.
Drawing from his life experiences and fictionalizing them, Brackett has written many poems on a variety of topics. He has decided to publish a book of these poems, thereby sharing them with the world.
"Belize Bush Tea and Muddy Waters" is that book, and it offers a nostalgic interpretation of the complexities of Brackett's life growing up in a developing country with big dreams yet dealing with the difficult realities of everyday life. These poems are creative expressions of a storyteller whose vivid and descriptive anecdotes pull you into the moment as you read. F. Daniel Brackett has more stories to tell. This book is only the beginning.

Clarence Lindon Hulse