Poetry By Clive Atkins

The Sighting - Reviewed by Pat Barlow.

When looking for suitable material for the ''Yes, you CAN write poetry'' workshop at the Big Sky Music & Arts Festival in Cheltenham last summer, I came across this collection by Clive Atkins.

Clive kindly agreed to lead the workshop and because he describes himself as 'an ordinary bloke' , the material was perfect for aspiring poets as well as those hoping to be published. His poems are varied: reflective, amusing, wistfull and occasionally sad, but are grounded in the concerns of 'le quotidien' - the everyday - which we all experience.

Modern life resonates throughout this collection; drugs (Living on the Edge), cheap foreign travel (Why do the Brits go to Magaluf), urban fears (Don't Stand By and Watch; It's a Sobering Thought).

The power of love gains rythym  in Dreams and But Always I Love You. My particular favourite is Let There Be Solutions, a rap prayer waiting for a musician. Many of Clive's poems would make great material for song lyrics, so I hope a copy of this work will find its way into the right hands.

Clive's love of the countryside is evident in the title poem The Sighting but, in my opinion, it is his insight into our daily concerns that make this collection of poetry worthy of a place on your shelves.

The Sighting is published  by authorhouse (www.authorhouse.com) 2005 ISBN: 1-4208-1050-2(sc)

Pat Barlow was Co-Director of The Big Sky Festival of Music & Arts at All Saints' Church, Pittville, Cheltenham, in June 2005. She is the secretary of The Friends of All Saints' and organises regular events at this Grade I Listed Church

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