R. Tomas is the pseudonym of David Milton. Just Because... is his fourth published collection of poems, all from K. T. Publications. A resident of Birmingham for fifty years, David was born in 1949 in Worcester. He began writing poetry in the 1960s, while still at school, but it was not until 2002 that his first collection of poetry, Past Landscapes, was published. This was the first book of a trilogy, completed by Late Grey Times, in 2005, and Gone Tomorrow in 2012.
Walking, the countryside of the Welsh Marches and its wildlife are major influences in David's work. Just Because ... stands outside the earlier trilogy, but shares those same influences. The area around Radnor Forest, and the Whimble, and the River Teme feature strongly, but so does his local Sheldon Country Park, on the outskirts of Birmingham. The lengthy Teme is as much a travelogue down the river as a poem while another piece, The Meadow, is about lost childhood , recalling many of the poems in Past Landscapes.
Given the outdoor influence evident in much of his work, it is no surprise that David will often compose a rough draft of a poem outside, on the spot. He then works on the "finished" version at home. Usually it is only this which is published while the original draft remains unseen.
Unusually herein is the poem Christmas Morning, 2016, with both versions included, giving an interesting insight into how he works.
Just Because... £6.95
Poems From The Strandline £7.95
Gone Tomorrow £6.95