A micro-review in the spirit of Sheppard’s own announcement of this chapbook’s publication:

‘Yesterday I micro-launched this micro-book of micro-poems. Don’t worry: nobody was there’.

It is micro – excellently so. Playful and innovative and evocative. A wonderfully symbiotic collection for a Red Ceilings chapbook

I have particularly enjoyed The Working Week poems and am currently macro-liking Haibun: 52 Haiku.

Get it here.

I have read again
Trump’s ‘The Squad’ tweets
from today

and rather than articulate rage
or try to conceptualise
the depths of his inane behaviour

I have instead checked out
the recycling, food waste and rubbish calendar
for a pragmatic catharsis.

send who back
send which back
send whom back

send them back
send I back
send they back
send me back
send those back
send we back
send us back

send one back
send some back
send anybody back
send everybody back
send everyone back

send yourself back
send myself back
send ourselves back
send yourselves back
send themselves back

back who
back which
back whom

back them
back I
back they
back me
back those
back we
back us

back one
back some
back anybody
back everybody
back everyone

back yourself
back myself
back ourselves
back yourselves
back themselves

She is deadheading
and drops to the grass
the pinched out
and picked off for
further colourlessness.

I see her paralleling
what will come to pass
and is now about
time lived before
eventual decisiveness.

In some celebration/recognition of the 5oth anniversary of Apollo 11 and the first manned mission to land on the moon, launched on this day in 1969, I am posting this poem which I always used to lead with when introducing concrete poetry to my students.

I cannot remember the author – apologies – and even with online research I have been unable to locate: apart from others having memories but also being none the wiser. If anyone…

I would just write the numbers on the black board [oh yes, many years ago] and then ask the students what they thought this ‘poem’ might be about. Of course, calling it a poem was the first tease, but someone would always eventually suggest a countdown – this prompted if needs be by my reading aloud – and then there was the vertical numbering before words were added so a rocket might be suggested, and that was the first route into exploring how concrete poetry can take the shape and other elements of the thing/event/item/idea it describes. Adding the words was always a great reveal – a little ruse, if also crucial, that worked to engage.

And this was the essential purpose. I would, however, also reflect on that line ‘What 4?’ because this does matter. Even in the early 80s when I was first teaching we were some way down the space road from 1969, so it was an apt question about the cost in a world riven with poverty and disadvantage. Then there was the final line and a suggestion of an ongoing commitment. I’d make reference to how poetry can have important messages to make/explore, but not necessarily.

This was mainly all about making poetry experimental and fun and I have fond memories of using this first example and launching the ideas of others.