Lifesaving Lines: The Bluet, by James Schuyler

On a spring day as far from ‘late in dour October’ it would be harder to imagine, James Schuyler’s The … More

Lifesaving Lines: The Death of Fred Clifton, by Lucille Clifton

So this is a bit spooky. All week I had in mind these marvellous final words from Lucille Clifton’s poem … More

Not exactly good riddance

Just a few hours left of 2021. Time to reflect on what this year has been. Until a week or … More

Lifesaving Lines: What the Living Do, by Marie Howe

Two great lines for the price of one (it is Christmas, after all) this week, from Marie Howe’s extraordinary poem … More

Lifesaving Lines

Thank you to everyone who has commented to me either publicly or in private about my new series of blog … More

Lifsaving Lines: Alone, by Tomas Tranströmer

I have been thinking a lot this week about a line from Tomas Tranströmer’s masterpiece, ‘Alone’. (I have also blogged … More

Lifesaving Lines: The Day After, by Michael Laskey

The line that’s been buzzing round my head this week is the final phrase from Michael Laskey’s miracle poem of … More

Lifesaving Lines: Poem for Wednesday, by Naomi Jaffa

Recently, my relationship with Wednesdays has changed. It’s quite a long story, and one I don’t want to trouble you … More

Lifsaving Lines: For Sheridan, by Robert Lowell

The line that’s been buzzing round my head the last couple of weeks is from Robert Lowell’s heartbreaking poem ‘For … More

Lifesaving Lines: The Gift, by Brendan Kennelly

I was at a thing. Very rarely for me, it was my own thing, only my second in front of … More

Summer reading

To continue this season of not, where I have been reposting old blog posts and links to some others, I … More

The blanket

Though you may disappear, you’re not forgotten hereAnd I will say to you, I will do what I can do … More

On Being Chipper

There were just a few of us in the room, gathered round a table. I had been invited to speak. … More

A day he won’t have

I had bumped into a friend at the cash machine. We greeted each other, as we always do, with a … More

The Sky Over My Mother’s House

The Sky Over My Mother’s House It is a July night scented with gardenias. The moon and stars shine hiding … More

Be kind

Be Kind Not merely because Henry James saidthere were but four rules of life—be kind be kind be kind be … More

You’ve got to write it all down

The unexamined life’s no different from                              … More

The Thing Is

The Thing Is to love life, to love it evenwhen you have no stomach for itand everything you’ve held dearcrumbles … More