Poems

Reading Clive Blake’s latest anthology is a life-affirming experience; light-hearted and comical, introspective and challenging. In this rhythmic exploration of both the mundane and the cosmic aspects of existence, no stone is left unturned: the promise of childhood, the uncertainties of youth and ageing, environmental apocalypse, ‘disabilit-ease’, historic whodunnits, love, death and escapee milk bottles, to name a few.

Clive Blake’s creativity and passion stems from his solid Cornish roots, captured in his reflections on the simple grandeur of the Cornish landscape. Perhaps it is this love of his native surroundings which lends his writing a rare sense of humility and groundedness. Although some of these poems are imbued with a quiet nostalgia, there is also an overwhelming sense of awe at life, at what it has to offer if one is brave enough to look within. And, of course, the poems come with a caveat: ‘no thoughts have been harmed during the making of this book’!