I Believe That These Devices Like Repetition

Words Want To Find Chimes With Each Other, Things Want To Connect.

The Point Of Poetry Is To Be Acutely Discomforting, To Prod And Provoke, To Poke Us In The Eye, To Punch Us In The Nose, To Knock Us Off Our Feet, To Take Our Breath Away.

I Was Born In Northern Ireland In 1951. I Lived Most Of My Life There Until 1986 Or 1987

On The Other Hand, At Some Level The Mass Of Unresolved Issues In Northern Ireland Does Influence The Fact That There Are So Many Good Writers In The Place.

Of Course, You Can't Legislate For How People Are Going To Read.