No one you know

‘You look upset.’ ‘I am upset,’ I say. ‘Well, not so much upset as disappointed.’ ‘Want to talk about it?’ … More

The point is the silence

‘I’ve stopped listening to the radio!’ ‘What, completely?’ the book says. ‘Not completely, I’m not an idiot,’ I say. … More

‘Where have you been?’ the book says. ‘Where have you been?’ ‘Here, waiting for you,’ the book says. ‘Working.’ ‘Same … More

Breathing Space July The man who lies on his back under huge trees is also up in them. He … More

Concluding this mini-series of poems I shared in my reading at the Greenbelt festival last weekend, here is Prayer by Marie … More

Continuing in this mini-series of poems I shared in my reading at the Greenbelt festival last weekend, here is The … More

It was such a privilege to read from the cornucopia of talent assembled in Lifesaving Poems at the Greenbelt Festival over … More

To celebrate the appearance of my dear friend Christopher Southgate at this year’s Greenbelt Festival, I am republishing my Lifesaving … More

Thank you to all my readers who have been asking to see a page with all of The Book blog … More

Here is a list of the found poems I have been posting over the summer, including older posts from last … More

A writer, I think, is someone who pays attention to the world. That means trying to understand, take in, connect … More

When poets discover that their words refer only to other words and not to reality which must be described as … More

‘An amazing stillness this morning. A sense of impending exhaustion in the air. There was one robin as I went … More

Young poets Who don’t think of themselves As apprentices Are notorious For resisting influences. They’ve experienced The first stages Of … More

Consider what value, What meaning Is enclosed even In the smallest Of our daily habits, In the hundred possessions Which … More

An artist needs not so much an audience as to feel a need to answer, a promise to respond. … More

‘Did you hear?’ says the book. ‘Ted Hughes’s brother has died.’ ‘I did see that, yes,’ I say. ’95, though. … More

Every year, the bright Scandinavian summer nights fade away without anyone noticing. One evening in August you have an errand … More