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Gary Day's avatar

I really enjoyed reading these poems. They are direct and quirky

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Ali Rowland's avatar

Enjoyed these poems very much, especially A Greyhound’s Heart. Writing about animals (especially dogs) is underrated, I think, they have so much to tell us about themselves and about us.

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Karen FitzGerald's avatar

Wonderful poems, Eileen. Thinking you're an ex-pat from my country, & these days me wishing I was, too.

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Alex Oliver's avatar

I was a bit worried at first - the invisibility, sounded like we were going into cathartic world (again). But I needn't have been - here was mild sarcasm; that's much better. We have enough wingeing to depress Ken Dodd's goddam diddeymen already.

And each poem got better. I like the language, somehow unpretentious, explicit with interesting subject matter. I agree with Ali about greyhound - those last two lines. Being a dog's best mate has to be monarch of everything.

So to the ballerina. As a (past) teacher of a musical instrument (see also Marital Harmony), I empathise with the graft. So many students were eminently capable, but couldn't hack the hack. And how refreshing, perhaps a woman's view did it, not to have some gushing shoe ribbon schmalze. I mean, look at the muscles on the Strictly girls (shudder).

The Hansel/Gretal take is also inn a place I enjoy. Funny but somehow rational. Like one of those dramas where people are faffing about grabbing things, doing things, and all you can think is get the ***** out of it - they're coming! Grown-up for "He's behind you" I suppose, but all the better as we depart knowing muminlaw is for it....

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