POETRY WORKSHOP
THROUGH NEW EYES
The birth of a new grandchild is the perfect occasion for a poem, says Alison Chisholm
One of the privileges of writing poetry is that it puts you in a unique position to chronicle anything that happens. Whether you are recording huge international events or simple domestic occurrences, you have the ability to do so in the most compelling and memorable form of words.
When the subject of your attention is a special family event, that moment is encapsulated for the people involved, but also for future generations who will be transported back to experience something they weren’t present for, but can know vicariously through your lines.
Peter Jones of Accrington, Lancashire was moved to write Perfection on the occasion of the birth of his first grandson. The birth of a baby is, of course, a source of great celebration for the family, but to have it recorded by the family’s personal poet laureate adds still more to the joy. The grandson in question is approaching thirty now, but the poem remains as fresh as the day it was written.