For this I don't forgive you

it is a very fine and thought-provoking landscape, with our poem's speaker on the cusp of things, an outsider even in her/his intimate relationship(s), with some very vivid and disturbing analogies. six out of five. *wankypoetry-talk over now*

Yeah, I did read it, but it didn't really do it for me, sadly. Searching for it again, I was quite struck by how little she's written - somehow I was expecting more. Oh well. Mark

Oh well, Mark not everyone can like it! I think it is well written and it also puts into words something I have been struggling to say for a while. Sarah.

ah well, better than my stuff though

Don't put yourself down, Mark. Your work is very good as I have told you before. You just have a very different style to fish.

I have been thinking about this a lot. Looking back at this poem, the problem for me is mainly the flow, I find my mind falters too much reading it. Now this is quite a common problem for me, so I have to face the fact that there is a striking discrepancy between my perception and that of most other people, not just in the case of this poem, but many others. This discrepancy surely must extend to my writing, and if it cannot reach the majority of readers, no matter what I think of it, it cannot be that good.

Horses for courses Mark. Not every reader of poetry likes even the ones widely acclaimed as greats. For example, I can happily read Larkin, Plath and Cope, but I would rather cut off my own hands than read Wilfred Owen or Wordsworth. If everyone tried to write the same it would be a very dull world. That's not to say that you shouldn't reappraise your work, just do it in a frame of mind of 'how can I improve this?' rather than, 'this is awful'.

I think I would forgive fish everything (if there were anything to forgive) for this poem. It's great. You have to write for your best audience - if some people don't get it, it doesn't mean it's a bad poem. I've never actually seen a bad poem by fish. I like some more than others, but to me they are all eminently publishable - far superior to lots of poems I've seen in print.

I agree with you Eddie, I have enjoyed all of Fish's work. I was sorry to se that she had taken down 'seasons' and 'insider' as I feel they are her best work yet.

I agree with you Eddie, I have enjoyed all of Fish's work. I was sorry to see that she had taken down 'seasons' and 'insider' as I feel they are her best work yet.

oops - bloody computer!! *storms off to kick computer repeatedly*

I did'nt say it was bad, it's definitely not bad. It's very good, just didn't have that "something" that does it for *me*. Mark

Maybe this is the mark of a great poet? That different people find different resonances in her work?