This is fun! But too much talking about myself! A public performance
for cris. A most enjoyable experience. Now to the `writing'....

`Writing' takes place in my head over a period of time as I go
about my everyday routine. The words pop into my head and slowly
a structure emerges. Then one day I sit down in my chair,
usually in silence but occasionally with the hifi or the tv or
radio on, and just `write'. I usually get it down at the first
attempt and make minor modifications as I word-process the
result and post it immediately on the Internet. If there is
something wrong with the poem I have written my subconscious
will eventually notify me and I will put in some hard work
to correct it. This doesnt happen very often. That's just
the way I do it. I sift my poems very carefully when it comes
to eliminating the dross, but I dont remove the weak ones from
my WEbspace [Where they all are]. Sometimes my opinion of a
poem I have rejected can change or I may cannabalise the `good'
bit.

Now that was about me `writing' a poem. In the silence of my
head. Now I will have to discuss the reading of someone else's
poem as they `write' in my head.

I get nothing out of `performance' poetry. My stupid simple
brain just cant absorb the information thrust at me when a
`performance' poet `writes' his/her words before me. I know
that most other people can take in performed poems so this
is a peculiar disability I have. I `write' other people's
poems in my head by reading them from print in the silence
of my own chair where I am comfortable. I like to hear
the accent of poets I am interested in so I am prepared
to endure a `reading' to hear what they sound like. It can
influence my reading of the poem to myself. But basically
I require a silent room to read a book of poems. I suppose
I hear it in the own voice inside my head. REading poems
aloud myself to myself means nothing to me. This is what
Fred Beake does all the time because he is such a marvellous
reader but it is of no interest to me.

I suppose I have covered `reading' poems now. Silently in
the silence of my head. Now I will mention recordings I have....

Basil reading `Briggflats', Eliot reading `Four Quartets'.
My turntable has died of old age but these are marvellous
recordings which I can go back to again and again. I must
know the words off by heart by now which helps.
Tapes: I have Ezra's Caedmon tapes and Dylan's original
`Under Milk Wood' (thanks to a Swedish friend). But I never
play these. What I love is John Cairnie's Robert Burns
which is a brilliant tape which I must play again soon.
But it is the folk music that really appeals to me (hence
the Burns of which I have many CDs).

Now on to folk music. This has always been one of the great
loves of my life and I have always felt the poetry in the
folk songs to be superior to almost anything being written
today. (I am looking for somebody to write me an article
comparing Robert Burns and Bob Dylan for my Internet magazine.
I was after Stephen Scobie of Vancouver doing it for me.)
If cris and sinead are in that category I will have to send
off for a disk.

Now England have passed 200 for 5 in Barbados so I will call
a rest, post this, and go and have a coffee.

I hope this is what you asked for cris. Come back if I have
missed something out or if you want me to elaborate.
And, yes, I do listen to Terry Wogan.


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