|
When first asked why I write poetry, I wasn’t sure how to respond, but it soon became clear to me. In one word: passion. Anything that grips me and I feel strongly about.
Living happily and fairly quietly in Cyprus after moving from London, gives me time and space and inspiration to develop what I enjoy most – writing poems expressing love, frustration, anger. We all feel these emotions from time to time and it’s fascinating to present them in verse.
Some topics are really challenging, particularly the traumatic experiences of children in need, whose welfare I have prioritised for most of my life. How could I write about a child whose brain does not function? But I did, by witnessing the excellent work for the development of mentally handicapped children by the Theotokos Foundation in Cyprus.
It’s easier to be critical than write about success, but I do strive to strike a balance. Hospital neglect that costs lives, graffiti defacing buildings, the Middle East wars are among the topics in my first volume: Cyprus Symphony. I’ve also written a lot about good people and my happiness in Cyprus. I’d like to record nice tributes to bureaucracy – if only I could find them!
I was determined to write about the tawdry expenses claims in the British Parliament – but in the positive setting of the resilience and the on-going achievements of our home of democracy, the Palace of Westminster.
I’ve never come across a taboo topic. As any reader of Cyprus Symphony discovers, I’m not shy writing about myself. Though it’s a British trait not to expose our feelings, I know there are people who feel the same way as me about themselves but are afraid of expressing it.
I am proud of what I’ve written and never had any regrets – though, later on, some poems appeal to me more than others.
Rather than offer praise or criticism, most people talk to me about particular poems that touch them. “I understand what you mean,” they tend to say. That pleases me greatly and encourages me to continue.
An innovation in my new book of poetry - Cyprus Symphony Volume 2 - is the accompanying splendid drawings by that well-known artist Harry Hawkins, who lives and works in Cyprus. I am impressed by how well illustrations can highlight poetry. I hope readers will find the combination attractive.
Cyprus Symphony Volume 2 - with all proceeds donated to Friends for Life, hospice care in Cyprus, is available from the same bookshop [Moufflon Bookshop, Nicosia] as my first volume: http://www.moufflon.com.cy
|
