chris m l burleigh

A poetry collection that is an exploration of words and meaning, and a celebration of sounds.

Life is serious, but not to be lived too seriously. In this collection the familiar is shown in unfamiliar ways. Our vanity and our fragility are exposed with gentle irony, and generosity of spirit. This is a collection of poems with something for everyone. There is a section on people, places, and Nature, a short section of love poems, and a large section of witty one-liners, puns, and humorous poems. 

Much in the collection is light-hearted and playful, although often with a more serious intent. The word play is wittier than Stand Up, and funnier than past wits such as Wilde and Parker. There is little introspection – the reader effortlessly becomes both the ‘I’ and the ‘eye’. While any of the poems might be autobiographical, poets, like novelists, can draw on the imagination. 

This book is the authentic voice of an individual poet. His style is original, though you may hear echoes of Shakespeare, Hopkins, Lawrence, Larkin, Betjeman, Lewis Carroll, A. A. Milne, or Milligan. Feel the power of nature in The Shipwreck ‘Wounded wave, writhe wide / Back-curled crest / Furled then swirled ...’ and enjoy the wit as in Exotic Travel ‘Travel broadens / The bowel’ or in Hope 'Hope springs eternal / In a young man’s / Groin'.

As Chris says: ‘Either write your poems and stuff them in a drawer, or publish and be damned! Poets want to communicate, and poetry is written to be heard. I write when I have something to say, and I feel I have found the right way to say it. Writing groups have enjoyed my poems over the years, and now is the time to put them ‘out there’, so others can enjoy them as they wish.’