I usually only write poetry when I'm deeply depressed (if I can be bothered to write it at all!). Why should that be? What is it about the state of descending to my murky inner self that encourages me to write verse? And even, more horrifically, verse that rhymes! I don't know what it is to be honest but I do know that even my darkest lines of poetry somehow give me a lifeline to a richer, deeper world; a world in which, somehow, things are clearer and lighter.

I haven't written much poetry recently, not because I've been so much happier with my life (in actual fact the last few months have been a huge struggle for me) but because I've been largely disaffected with the whols thing - and because I'd got it into my head that I wanted to write novels instead of faffing about with meaningless verse. I have since found out that writing a novel is a whole lot harder than I had ever imagined and that, most probably, I don't have the skill or self-motivation to pull it off even in my most vivid and far-fetched dreams. Stumbling on this website opened my eyes again to the joy and richness of verse. Thanks to all of you for being willing to share your thoughts and hearts with me. I hope that in even a small way my fumbling attempts at poetry can inspire or encourage some of you.

See you on the other side!