Poetry

For me, writing poetry is about standing still for a moment, paying attention. Then I might discover something. It might not be deep and meaningful, it might just be a slightly different way of looking at the world. It might surprise me.

Some poems are like a photograph – they catch a moment or experience. But they’re better than a photograph, because they loiter around its edges and try to figure it out. Sometimes they see something crazy in it.

But poems can also challenge us. They can shift our perspective. Make a difference.

For some poets, language is the most important thing in poetry. For me, what the poem says is as important as the language.

On the right is a small selection of my favourite poems, and how I came to write them.