The Golden Oriole

By Sue Davies

Sue Davies grew up in London. She practised as a nurse at Westminster Hospital before going on to work for the BBC. She married and lived in Oxford, and then moved to Cyprus with her husband to teach English. On her return, she studied English Literature and Linguistics at the University of Sussex and Southampton University. She lectured in English Literature and Linguistics.

Her first poetry collection Blue Water Caf was followed by Split the Lark, published by Oversteps Books. She is a prize-winning poet and lives in Hampshire.

Praise for her work:

"These poems invite us to move across time and place, from depths of grief and loss to some kind of acceptance. Like the glorious golden oriole of the title, this rare collection has beauty: landscapes that dazzle; precious moments glimpsed again; and luminous language that sings in a unique voice. This memory montage full of colour celebrates life with love and compassion at its heart." - Patsy Rath

"These poems follow themes of pregnancy & motherhood, dreams & memory, ghosts & darkness all richly painted with vital imagery and a haunting sense of place. In many of these poems the lush language is undercut with unspoken, deeply felt sorrow, which seems obvious when I look back at the section titles: Lament, Unrest and Letting Go. The line, for me, which sums up this collection is from 'At Pitmore Cottage'; 'a garden is the defence of a broken heart." - Sue Spiers

"Tender poems of longing, love and loss are woven through this richly crafted collection. We travel from the copper sands of Pembrokeshire, stroll Unter den Linden in Berlin, to Greece, perfumed with myrtle and pine and to the olive groves of Cyprus. There is humour too in the search for her tribe amidst a gaggle of schoolgirls, and later as a teacher engaging a restless class by suggesting they invent a new word. Something not required by this skilled wordsmith." - Judith Wozniak

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0H1YMK5Q8
• ISBN13: 9798259225343
• Release Date: May 2026
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 83 Pages
• Weight: 0.24 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.2" x 5.5"