Gratitude

I’m grateful to you, you see. I wanted to tell you. –Raymond Carver (‘For Tess’) A kind, wise man once … More

Lifesaving Poems: Geoff Hattersley’s ‘The Only Son at the Fish ‘n’ Chip Shop’

The Only Son at the Fish ‘n’ Chip Shop He lived with his mother till he was forty-five … More

Rondeau Redouble There is so little left. The room is bare. She’ll strip his sheets and blankets by and … More

Wind This house has been far out at sea all night,The woods crashing through darkness, the booming hills,Winds stampeding the … More

Some of my favourite poetry books of all time are anthologies. Not the headline selections everybody has (and has to … More

One of the pleasures of being alive is reading John Ash. Think of a prize-winning poet, someone you think of … More

Saint Francis and the SowThe budstands for all things,even for those things that don’t flower,for everything flowers, from within, of … More

I have just come back from the Greenbelt Festival where I was delighted to give a talk about writing poetry … More

On the Impossibility of Staying Alive They have found a new moon; it stands on my shoulder. They call it … More

Song of ReasonsBecause of the change of key midway in “Come Back to Sorrento”The little tune comes back higher, and … More

K563As on most fine summer Sundayswe are breakfasting outside with our books.This morning it is one of the Divertimentikeeps the … More

I was struck by a remark of Seamus Heaney in an interview he gave some years ago now. He was … More