It was a pleasure and privilege to hear Olivia McCannon reading for Poets and Players. Some of the poems she read were very moving in quite a straightforward way. Others were more oblique, among them “Map”, which I thought I’d share with you. You can find it in the Poetry Library Archives at http://www.poetrymagazines.org.uk/magazine/record.asp?id=16823

It isn’t a difficult poem to take in. It has the kind of simple line through it that’s essential if a poem is to communicate when you hear it just once. Its clarity of impact is partly a matter of form. Most lines have three strong … Continue Reading