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 Bight, by Elizabeth Bishop

‘Awful but cheerful’ is the final phrase and line of ‘The Bight‘, by Elizabeth Bishop. I’ve always felt that the … More

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

I thought of it before I knew I had remembered it. Just the word ‘then’. Rereading and searching at speed … More

As I try to hold on to beginner’s mind, I recall the practice of falling in love at a moment’s … More

One of the great joys for me this summer was being able to get back to Greenbelt, a festival of … More

As I come back to this blog, I am looking to try and inhabit what Zen practitioners call beginner’s mind. … More

I am delighted to announce the publication of some new poems, which you can find at the links below. Having … More

I was very saddened to learn today that the leading Estonian poet Jaan Kaplinski has died, aged 80, of motor … More

I am deeply grateful to Hilary Menos and Andy Brodie at The Friday Poem for taking a new poem of … More

after Shawna Lemay Write a poem about the rain. Or the wind.Write about what you learned at university.Or did not … More

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

Here are some links from my archive to keep you going while I summon the energy and wherewithal to get … More

Intense Look out here comes that bloke with the worn out eyes. He’s always coming ’round here with his talk … More

Before I start, I want to say that this is not about stats. This is not about stats. What this … More

Just over a year ago I wrote a blog post talking about my ‘tired frame of mind’ and intention to … More

Here are the blog posts that you read most in 2020 As I click through the links I am surprised … More

Fourth Sunday in Advent This was another good week. Because it had rest in it. Because I re-read Anne Lamott’s … More