National Poetry Day….

….was on Thursday but on Wednesday, I found myself working with Lemn Sissay, one of our the finest contemporary poets. Read his books, listen to his recitations, find his Desert Island Discs on iPlayer – however you discover and absorb his work, you’ll find it a truly enriching experience. I’m afraid I’m a bit of a poetry philistine. I judge poetry not so much by its content but by how well it rhymes. So when it comes to finding true poetry in music, I eschew Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen in favour of Tracy Ullman. This heartbreaking paean to unrequited love is filled with truth and rhyme. I know – not exactly TS Eliot but it was written by Kirsty McColl whose father Ewan McColl was a poet. He of course wrote The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. I might have chosen that if only it had better rhymes.