A time for rhyme

A question has arrived, rather tangential to the writing thing, but I'm going to answer it anyway because it's a subject of which I'm fond.

It's this - do I like poetry, and if so, what?

The answer to part one of the question is yes, and that's probably a good job or this would be one of the shortest blogs I've ever penned.

The answer to part two is a range, but I tend to favour older poetry.  This is going to sound hideously old fashioned, embarrassingly so even, but I like works that are full of rhythm and rhyme. 

My two favourite poets are probably Housman and Betjeman.  Housman because of the way he captures his time, his sense of lament about life (very important for someone as emotionally melodramatic as me), and his wonderful use of language. 

Betjeman I love because of his delight in the countryside - particularly Cornwall - and his observations of people and life. He's also got a lovely joy and mischief in his writing.

I'm a fan of Eliot too, because of the tingling reflectiveness of his work.  I've always had a thing about time - the one unconquerable enemy in my humble view (perhaps I watched Dr Who too much as a kid) - and Eliot is so powerful in his thoughts about that slippery subject.

A thought has occured here (they do happen sometimes). I'm just hoping that my correspondent's question wasn't prompted by this week's little rhymes on Twitter.  I'd like to say at this point they weren't planned at all.  Monday's just struck me as something that I wanted to say, Tuesday's followed on which brought us to Weds etc..

If you want to see my efforts at micro blogged ryhme, there's a link to my Twitter page just above this blog.  And if you want to ask a question about the tvdetective books, or any area of my writing, you can get in touch via the contact page of the site - www.thetvdetective.com/contact.html

Finally, in the spirit of this musing - Work calls, so I must away / Catch you again another day..