Into the Arena

Welcome to my website. It has been created (with some technical stretching on my part) to host some writing of poems and sharing of life. Whether to provoke thought, make you smile or, at the very least, force me out of some kind of metaphorical closet. Into the Arena, that is.

I have no training in verse or prose, but I'm quite fond of language and words. They are not always very willing but occasionally can be convinced to play with me. Poems can be like nursery rhymes (think roses are red....safe but potentially soporific), or like a tango or a ceilidh (more complicated and challenging to create). Or they can go mad and break all the rules with free form. A good option for someone like me who never knew the rules in the first place.

I like poems that keep me on my toes (semantically or rhythmically) but somehow stay integrated and connected - that don't fall apart if you zone out for a bit. I am quite lazy about reading so I suppose I imagine a reader similarly wanting an easy, and preferably entertaining, read. This will not cater to those seeking the linguistically equivalent heights of virtuoso jazz musicianship.

The publishing of this website has coincided with a move to Sweden - a kind of personal 'Brexit'. A long standing personal goal to experience life and language outside of the UK for a while, and perhaps slightly catalysed by a certain politically foolish option (in my opinion) offered to the British public in 2016. I am afraid my political opinions might also end up in the arena with me. And this might be the moment to decide to not offer a 'comments' option.

Anyway, because of this, I am going to 'bomb' my own website with a section on my Swedish adventures by way of updating anybody who might be interested to read them. It might be temporary. Maybe the whole website will be temporary.