I’ve just opened a package from Amazon in the kitchen and taken out Derek Mahon’s Life on Earth. The first poem I glanced at was “Paolo and Lighea”. It’s a little six-liner with a wry throwaway feel, a slight piece in a way, but it gave me an instant shock of pleasure and a strong sense of coming home which contrasted quite markedly with the kind of pleasure I’ve had from other very good new books of poetry I’ve read recently. Admittedly, I’ve been reading … Continue Reading