Of Mutability by Jo Shapcott

Of Mutability

Jo Shapcott

As the title suggests, all the poems are concerned with change in all its manifestations and inevitably with decay. However this is not a sad collection but moving and occasionally amusing. Easily accessible to novice poetry readers. This collection was the winner of the Costa Book of the Year Award 2010 and I strongly recommend it.

Extract
Auntie stands by the kettle, looking at the kettle
and says, help me, help me, where is the kettle?
I say, little auntie, the curlicues and hopscotch grids
unfurling in your brain have hidden it from you. Let me
make you a cup of tea. She says ah ha! but I do
my crossword, don't I, OK not the difficult one, the one
with the wasname? Cryptic clues. Not that. I say,
auntie, little auntie , we were never cryptic
so let's not start now
Parallels
  • Any by Carol Ann Duffy
  • Any by Robert Minhinnick
  • Any by Jo Shapcott