The Year of Living Deeply 13: Reading the books I already possess

As I was saying the book that I bought and then did not read and which caught my eye recently is  Now … More

Lifesaving Poems: Stuart Pickford’s ‘The Curtain Falls’

  The Curtain Falls Suddenly a life is over – Ends with such serious charades The Dean makes lame quips … More

Lifesaving Poems: Carrie Fountain’s ‘Poem Without Sleep’

Poem Without Sleep   All the things that could happen to the baby came to me last night as I … More

Nowhere Poet

It is odd to speak of missing someone you never met, but this is how I feel about the American … More

Lifesaving Poems: Tom Andrews’s ‘Reading Frank O’Hara in the Hospital’

Reading Frank O’Hara in the Hospital   1 The IV drips its slow news. So long, lean and turbulent morning! … More

Lifesaving Poems: Kathryn Simmonds’s ‘In a Church’

  In a Church   No, no time for this the outside clamours to be heard, the books, you see, … More

On a failure

Here is a story about a recent failure of mine. It all started with an idea, which I knew, just … More

What you read in 2017

Dear Friends Here are the blog posts which you read most often in 2017, according to my WordPress stats:   … More

Discovering Geoffrey Summerfield’s Worlds

In support of crowdfunding our new anthology of poems, No One You Know, with Unbound, Sue Dymoke and I are … More

#NaBloPoMo 23 – Prayer

Dear God   Do you think you could fix it so that I might have some of Martin’s playfulness, his … More

#NaBloPoMo 8 -Try to Praise the Mutilated World

Try to Praise the Mutilated World   Try to praise the mutilated world. Remember June’s long days, and wild strawberries, … More

#NaBloPoMo 7 – The paradox of poetry, by Seamus Heaney

I have to be honest and say that, in the light of yesterday’s US Election result,  I am tempted to … More

#NaBloPoMo 5 – Michael Longley interview with Krista Tippett

I feel a great sense of weariness as I look at the current political scene. Domestically, in the UK, we … More

Guilty

I have begun to acclimatise myself to the fact that the Book is not coming back. To lure it back … More

A household name

I turn the radio on and switch it off again, unable to settle to anything. There is still no sign … More

The Half-Finished Heaven, by Tomas Tranströmer

The Half-Finished Heaven Despondency breaks off its course.Anguish breaks off its course.The vulture breaks off its flight. The eager light … More

Tracks, by Tomas Tranströmer

Tracks   2 am: moonlight. The train has stopped out in the middle of the plain. Far away, points of … More

To the Mincing Poets

  Last Sunday I attended the last ever group meeting and reading of the Mincing Poets, in Exeter. A classic … More