Featured Poetry Collection (3) - Lost Magic - the very best of Brian Moses

Week 3 PJ…wotcha got?

Brian Moses.

And not just that, the very best of him. This volume of his work contains everutning the title suggests. Brian’s witticisms, his humour, an occasional smidge of philosophy and a huge shovel load of rhyme all combine to make this one a must read.

There are pieces in here upper KS2 and above will enjoy but as an adult I’ve also found them immensely nutritious (from a literary point of view - even I don’t actually ‘digest’ books)

Got a favourite Paul?

Yes - Empty Places. This poem should be desolate, sad, depressing even. But it’s not. It’s calm and weirdly invigorating. Love it.

EMPTY PLACES

I like empty places.

The woods, the stream, the fields.

It's knowing l've no need

to make connections with anyone

about anything.

It's knowing I don't have to speak,

and that no one can contact me.

And the places themselves

are secure in their silence.

The landscape keeps tight-lipped,

it has no wish to reveal

its secrets.

(Although, just occasionally

I detect the whisperings of leaves,

the gossip of greenery.)

There are times, of course,

when my fingers feel the pulse of the city,

when its heartbeat connects with mine.

There are times too

when I need to be vocal,

when I need to crack the surface of silence.

But then it's back to those empty places,

that desire to be somewhere where no one else is,

to feel, to touch, to surf the breeze.

I like empty places,

the woods, the stream, the fields,

those kinds of places

that I can fill

with my dreams.

Bits of info you might need if you’re trying to buy it/find it in the library

First published: 2016

Publisher: MacMillan

Number of poems: 100+

Illustrated by: Chris Garbutt