MAUREEN WELDON is a former professional ballerina, and her poems dance with a perfectly judged cadence and simplicity of expression. There's a light which shines through her work, a transparency which we, at The Passionate Transitory, find both lovely and calming.
Can you remember the first poem you ever wrote?
Yes.
And how old you were when you wrote it?
I was about fourteen.
And what it was about?
It was about love. When the love went, the poem went in the bin!
Name a favourite poem or two . . .
"He Wishes For The Cloths Of Heaven" (W. B. Yeats), "The Guest House" (Rumi), "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" (Dylan Thomas), "Full Moon And Little Frieda" (Ted Hughes).
. . . and a few of your favourite poets.
Yeats, Lorca, Sappho, Elizabeth Bishop, Philip Larkin, UA Fanthorpe, Dylan Thomas, Gillian Clarke.
Do you talk about poetry with your friends?
Yes, I do talk about poetry with my friends, both with friends who are poets and friends who are not poets.
Do you write poetry for yourself, or for others, or for both?
Both.
Is it important to you if your poems get published or not?
It is hugely important to me that my poems get published – in poetry magazines, journals, and good online poetry e-zines. It is a way of sharing my poems with readers and also reading theirs. When my poems are accepted by an editor, I feel great joy. Also, when I give readings or recite my poems, that is also a joy.
Do you think poetry is important in the global scale of things, or just a pleasant indulgent hobby like needlework or train-spotting?
I think poetry is very, very important in the global scale. It is one of the most important art forms in which human beings can express their truth and share their truth. It is not just a hobby – the work is far too hard! At least that’s what I think.
What does poetry really mean to you?
Poetry is a very important part of my life, both reading it and writing it.
Is poetry better than sex?
Hehe . . . now that might be telling!!!
