Le Tournesol and other poems: or An Essay of Melancholia or The First Published Works of Edwin Z. Canary

Here we present the first published collection of poetry from Tāmaki-makau-rau/Auckland based Queer poet Edwin Z. Canary (he/they). From the title poem “Le Tournesol” (“The Sunflower”), a blinding light shines in the eyes of the author, but is it just a dream – a nightmare? to “Heavy is the Head that wears the Crown” an ode to the late Queen Elizabeth II; the collection is an eclectic mix of poems which covers the author’s descent into depression and anxiety, dealing with grief, finding love, and being happy in their skin.