J.R.R. Tolkien, writing to his son Christopher, commenting on how long and sprawling The Lord of the Rings was becoming, compared with The Hobbit: ‘It is a curse having the epic temperament in an overcrowded age devoted to snappy bits!’ And to think that he wrote this in 1944, not 2024… but perhaps the sons … More Tolkien and the curse of the epic temperament
I’ve been running into a mantra that emerges from the forest leaves of my everyday experience like an exotic bird, a flash of colour that then darts again out of view, only to reappear once more later on in a clearing, and again in the fronds of a bush, then again flashing across the sky … More Show, Don’t Tell
Old tower of bones,old frosty oak, you,who twists and turns your way to the sky.Your knuckles and elbows and knees I descry.They’re all knobbled,old frosty oak,knobbled and knocked,all covered in mossthen covered in frost.What will you, bone tower,what will you say,who guards and glowersall gaunt on the way? ‘My bones are the home of the … More Old Tower of Bones (A Poem)
I love taking walks where I’ve never been before. It doesn’t have to be palm-branch-waving-ocean-braving-mountain-ranging scenery. The newness of the undiscovered is enough to intrigue me. I love how the horizon reveals itself, layer by layer; never quite giving itself away as another bend in the road, another clearing of the trees reveals yet more … More The Journey of Creativity
I found some words at the bottom of the garden – Slimy, squirmy and more – I took those words, hastily squiggled, And shoved them in a jar. I tried to catch some fish with them – Slippery, silvery and wet – But those tired adjectives didn’t make good bait, Left me angling in regret. … More Wiggly Words
Then leaving Summer’s sandy shores Now beckoned by the breeze We donned our jumpers, hats and boots And entered Autumn’s eaves. Into the whisper, rustle and crunch Adjusting to the cold Watched age and sunsets run like fire And light the world in gold. No bonfire night or fireworks Could near compare to this We … More Autumn’s Eaves (poem)
Isn’t it quite something That something came from nothing? That nothing could do something To make it all appear! But let me tell you something: Nothing can do nothing! We all have come from something – Ain’t that a quaint idea? So lay the heavy burden Of proof upon the person Who in some strange … More Nothing (A poem)
Poetry has always been the means by which human beings have creatively expressed that which is outside ordinary everyday speech. ‘Poetry’ in this sense encompasses poetry as we know it, but also plays, songs, and even some forms of prose; anything which seeks to use metaphors and similes, symbolism and imagery, hyperbole, creative contrast, rhyme, … More Theology and Poetry
I’m reading Pat Pattison’s wonderful book, Writing Better Lyrics. One of the many, many great things about this book is its inclusion of useful exercises to do as you go along. I have devotedly set aside a notebook for the purpose; it lives with this book, getting pig-eared and dog-chewed as I read and re-read … More Lyric writing: A window on a coffee shop
A gift for all my readers (all three of you). While not strictly about Christmas, this poem concerns something I have been reflecting on quite deeply for a while and may blog about (if I have time) next year. In the meantime, enjoy, and see what it speaks to you about. I give you: The … More The Three Strangers
Ben David Trigg 