Advent-ures in poetry

Modern poetry is, for me, like chocolate. The best is brilliant, but there's an awful lot of substandard crap out there.*

When it comes to the best, though, I confess to loving Simon Armitage. He's not the most brilliant (I think that would have to be Seamus Heaney**), but he is brilliantly clever and a jolly good read. Which is why I was so excited to see his new volume, Seeing Stars, in my local book shop the other day. It's more prose-poetry than his previous works, which, given that Armitage also writes short stories, essays and journalism, was a natural development. I normally prefer my poetry less prosy, but he won me over fully with this one, which I share with you in all its lengthy length because it is just that good. Go out and buy the book, it's slim and will make you look tremendously intellectual at the same time as making you laugh and then admire.

The Practical Way To Heaven
( The poem, including pie and art jokes )

* This is always true of poetry, no matter when you think modern is -- what we study as Elizabethan or Restoration poetry now is the best of that time, but if you sit down and read some of the also-rans, you will quickly realise that being dead for three or four hundred years does not necessarily make one More Poetic or Less of a Wanker.

** Yes, both men, just as my two favourite current songwriters are both women. It's not the patriarchy ascendant, it's who I like.

Advent-ures in poetry

Modern poetry is, for me, like chocolate. The best is brilliant, but there's an awful lot of substandard crap out there.*

When it comes to the best, though, I confess to loving Simon Armitage. He's not the most brilliant (I think that would have to be Seamus Heaney**), but he is brilliantly clever and a jolly good read. Which is why I was so excited to see his new volume, Seeing Stars, in my local book shop the other day. It's more prose-poetry than his previous works, which, given that Armitage also writes short stories, essays and journalism, was a natural development. I normally prefer my poetry less prosy, but he won me over fully with this one, which I share with you in all its lengthy length because it is just that good. Go out and buy the book, it's slim and will make you look tremendously intellectual at the same time as making you laugh and then admire.

The Practical Way To Heaven
( The poem, including pie and art jokes )

* This is always true of poetry, no matter when you think modern is -- what we study as Elizabethan or Restoration poetry now is the best of that time, but if you sit down and read some of the also-rans, you will quickly realise that being dead for three or four hundred years does not necessarily make one More Poetic or Less of a Wanker.

** Yes, both men, just as my two favourite current songwriters are both women. It's not the patriarchy ascendant, it's who I like.