Of course, no-one, not even the “writer”, can “know” what the poem “means”, but still…

…academics can tie themselves in some fascinating knots and, it is even rumoured, disappear up their own theories. Here’s some more commentary on poems I’ve already posted: EDEN The fruit slipped ripe into the hand The hunting hard, but always good, The trees made shade to sleep within That was the Eden we once knew [...]

Be specific

Recently I got into an on-line debate, which at times became a little sharp, about whether poems could come fully formed into the world without need for revision, or whether revision was always required. I do revise my poems, but usually on very small points, and was concerned to question an implication that high-quality, serious, [...]

Impressions

  By the slow-flowing river running full I saw a soldier slump and slide By the old ruined farmhouse wall I smelt the smell of burning oil   If I have trouble to tell a dream And dreams invade the dreamless land Nothing is quite what it once seemed The water wavers, soil is sand. [...]

Recurring images

Sometimes a particular image emerges in one poem I write and then comes back once or several times more unprompted. Sometimes there’s a bit of planning or prompting involved. I’d be keen to hear whether other poets experience the same. This is a different matter from recurring themes or topics. For example, DRAGONS are a [...]

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