Forget the mother of all bombs and the father of all mankind - here is the ultimate parent of all…
"My boy you should go in for nature." Sir William Richmond's advice to Paul Nash on reviewing some of his…
Poltroon - the very word is like a ... what? a.) A North American mammal of the raccoon family known…
Did you have a special place as a child? Perhaps somewhere secret and magical? A corner of a city park,…
The Dancers All day beneath the hurtling shells Before my burning eyes Hover the dainty demoiselles -- The peacock dragon-flies.…
Do you have any favorite poems about trains and train journeys? I was compiling such a list - the way…
How to Read a Poem: Beginner’s Manual First, forget everything you have learned, that poetry is difficult, that it cannot…
There's a story behind every poem. There's always a story. And the story behind this one is that the poet…
Before reading the poem - take a look at this painting. Take a good look. What's there? Be literal. What…
The End and the Beginning After every war someone has to clean up. Things won’t straighten themselves up,…
A bike ride in the country. A conversation interrupted by a near accident and the shock of a racist chance encounter.…
Blackbirds are notorious for being able to mimic the sounds they hear as they hop about the celestial chimney pots…
Two Lorries It's raining on black coal and warm wet ashes. There are tyre-marks in the yard, Agnew's old lorry…
Sleeping is one of the things cats do best. Which is lucky because it limits the number of minutes and…
An aubade is a poem or piece of music appropriate to the dawn or early morning. By the 1930's it was…