‘Yesterday I didn’t write any poetry…’

To speak well, we need to work on ourselves: to make the vehicle of speech capable of channelling, fairly and compassionately, something that raises the game and is useful.

We sometimes spout words as though we were static fountains. But the shape of what we say is very much our choice.

It is easier to speak the truth if we can lose our impatience and jealousy, and appeal to what is more universal.

We develop as poets through our lives, in subtle ways, away from copied tradition towards conversation, and away from unfiltered emotion towards flexible speech.

Is poetic technique conscious? Yes and no. Sometimes.

When writing poems, we have some interesting choices as to how to use person (I, you, he/she, we etc).

A poet is free to explore perspectives that are not necessarily their own. This can be liberating, and encourage empathy.

Rhyme is an ancient art, and helps us to express ourselves convincingly. But it needs to be used with care.