This week’s Write Out Loud Poem of the Week is Reconciliation by Ray Pool.  This is the third time Ray's work has been selected as Poet of the Week, so many congratulations to him once again.  Ray is a regular contributor to Write Out Loud, both posting his own poems and commenting on others' work.  He reads his poetry at Write Out Loud Woking and at the 1000 Monkeys in Guildford. He reveals more in this Q&A:

How long has poetry been an important part of your life and can you remember why it became so?

Poetry has been significant for me from early schooldays, John Betjeman’s 1960 Collected Poems being my first revelation; I still treasure the book.  My early involvements were firstly with music and writing essays, my father and two older brothers giving me a taste for reaching out to these fields.  The sixties became a fruitful period for the creative arts in general, so then I got the bug to write.

What kind of poetry do you write?  What motivates you?

I used to write what I considered witty poems, but have since extended my range to include any subject that appeals to me where I have sufficient confidence to air my views or shape an idea.  I do tend to favour tales using characters, and I think mood is a very important factor, also to invite the reader to feel comfortable.

If you could only have one poet’s work to read, which one would you choose?

I would have to choose Ted Hughes as my most admired poet for his impact and directness and range of feeling.  Philip Larkin would be another choice, quite different but equally compelling.  

Do you perform your work and if so, where are your favourite places to perform?

 I have only been performing my poetry for a couple of years, and gaining confidence all the time. The venues apart from private parties (and funerals) are the 1000 Monkeys at the Keep pub in Guildford and Write Out Loud at the New Inn at Send, and now at the Lightbox in Woking, both in Surrey.

If you found yourself cast away on a desert island, what luxury would you pick?

My desert island choice would be a powerful telescope for viewing the night sky.

 

"Reconciliation" by Ray Pool

It was as if the sky and the earth

had stopped talking to each other;

two warriors at odds,

arid and distant,

a stand off. 

 

Yet, one night we sensed a reconciliation,

a broody bank of cloud

come with a message

for the bald brown grass

festering like a parchment of peace discarded. 

 

I heard whisperings on leaves, 

as of tiny footsteps,

weary emissaries testing the air;

come to make amends

with their gift of rain.