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| Roger Stevens |
| A & C Black |
| 0713676310 |
| Aug 2006 |
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Perfect for reading on a dull, wet day, it’s impossible not to feel one’s mood being elevated and enhanced by always bright – sometime brash – poetic offerings presented in “The Secret Life of Pants”, a pant-astically absorbing collection of new poems to pamper oneself with…
Poems are collected under eight headings, some to make one laugh, some to make one think but all of which inspire admiration in the playful, imaginative use of language that opens up new ways to perceive the world around us. Contributors include Paul Cookson, Brian Moses, John Foster and Andrew Fusek Peters. Of particular note are the Albanian and Czech riddles which have a beautiful simplicity in their outlook. “Don’t Snog Frogs” is a cheeky and comical caution against following the advice of fairy-tales. Jusin Coe’s “The Lost Poem” poses consideration as to what might and might not be considered poetry. Limericks, haiku and riddles give tantalising tastes of the diversity of the poetic form. Primarily a fun book to read, this serves as an excellent introduction to poetry avoiding the high-brow pretensions that can be such a dampener to new readers…
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Poetry: August 2006 Archives
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| Mike Jubb |
| Back to Front |
| 1904529232 |
| Jul 2006 |
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‘The Ghost of my Pussycat’s Bottom’ is a wide-ranging collection of poetry written by Mike Jubb. Material traverses the irreverent such as the eponymous poem ‘The Ghost of my Pusscat’s Bottom’, the stately and elegant such as ‘Midnight Meeting’ which takes its inspiration from Edward Lear’s ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’ and the deceptively simply with almost ethereal beauty including ‘The Emperor and the Nightingale’, told in the form of three linked haiku to form a rensaku.
There are poems here to meet every moment and every mood. Poems are collected under seven beastly headings and range from the miscroscopic – “Said an Angry Amoeba called Anne” – to the gargantuan with “What is a dragon like?”. Mike Jubb provides notes on a number of the poems, some of which unfairly self-abase the work and thought that belies the crafting of this collection. Points of reference aplenty and a practical written style makes these ideal support for teaching of poetry in the classroom and a perfect springboard to explore other referenced works. All of the notes, however, achieve accomplishment whilst sharing the unpretentious overview they provide of different poetic forms and techniques, areas from which to draw ideas, and ultimately these serve to inspire and enrich an imaginative repertoire that creates a strong and empowering urge to have a go oneself, go on…!
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