You read and you said...

Mornin' Mowen, I finished reading the book.

I should confess that I am not a poetry lover. I have tried to like it. I have tried different poets, different languages ... but sadly, it doesn't capture my imagination like a good story. So, I think I am ill equipped to pass any judgement on poetry, because it doesn't stir me.



On the flip side, I think your prose is exceptionally well-written, and in a way, reminds me of Roddy Doyle. It has nothing to do with your nationality or the rural nature of the poems.

Doyle has the unique ability of being able to transport me into the story, right next to his characters. So, I'm running with Paddy Clarke, in the fields behind his house, or sitting next to Paula Spencer, in the kitchen, watching her get pissed and feeling disappointed in her. For me, very few people can do this—and I find it a mark of a gifted writer. Most of the time when I read stories, I am an outsider looking in, and rarely do I become part of the story.

You were able to draw me into your prose. I was sitting with you, on the sidewalk, also trying to cope. I was standing behind you in the hospital, feeling the exact same way. This is why I say that you remind me of Doyle.
Do you ever write prose?
Hopefully, my lack of love for poetry hasn't been too disappointing.

Thanks to Caitlin