A Lyric That Lingers—Unforgettable Poetry by Louise Walker, Poetry Editor

Among the vibrant images of David Hockney’s work that are being shared everywhere in the wake of his death, a print caught my eye. In his trademark cobalt and mint, he declares: ‘They say you need 3 things for PAINTING: the HAND, the EYE, the HEART. Two won’t do’.

I’m certain I look for all three when reading a poem for the first time: technique, vision and emotional impact.

Some poems hit the sweet spot and seem effortless, concealing the crafting and re-drafting, those hours spent tweaking line-endings, trimming away the fat and searching for the perfect image for the last line.

The poems that appeal to me work both on the page and in performance. After all, poetry has its origins in song and the oral storytelling tradition found in every culture, so it has always needed to be memorable. I like Don Paterson’s phrase ‘the lyric weave’ for the way a poem creates a sound world that reinforces the effects of the language and imagery the poet has chosen.

 

Poetry can use all the senses, of course, and I love poems that create vivid, individual worlds. Sometimes a couple of brand names like Weetabix or Horlicks can evoke a time or place so powerfully, whilst a mundane object, such as a battered frying pan, can bring a person or relationship to life right before our eyes.

 

I’m always ready to be surprised/amused/haunted/shocked/moved by a poem. Perhaps even all at the same time! But I want to feel the poem is authentic. Grandiose philosophical pronouncements don’t interest me at all.