Kindest reader,
I thought today to put forth some new points I have not really discussed upon this blog before, I was pointed to this by someone who had read a little of my eBook and noticed in the preface that I would discourage the reader from reading any of my work and instead direct them to reading that of other poets. Here, I had mentioned other poets but in no way discussed my favourites, so I thought I would list those poems and poets who have inspired me, and whose work I place amongst my most favourite things upon this earth.
Firstly, there is the work of a poet called Herbert Kingsford, a poet who until recently was completely unknown. I have done some work trying to give him some kind of recognition on the internet; recording the publishing of his book on certain book registry sites, adding a wikipedia article about him, etc. He was a man who was born in 1845 and who died in 1909, never recognised as a poet in his lifetime other than by his friends, and, as far as I can tell, never published until a small book of his poetry was produced for his friends and family to remember him by after his death. I happened to chance upon what is likely one of the only copies of that book at a jumble sale when I was about ten years old, there are still pencil notes from the first owner who obviously knew him well enough to be able to correct some of the typing errors in a number of his poems. I would link you to some of his poetry, but none exist currently that I know of, other than the small green leather bound book on my shelf. I am currently busy working on an eBook of his work, but am only a third of the way through so far, and hope to have it finished by the end of the year. A link will be here for you then!
As far as poets are concerned, there are few whose poetry I have enjoyed as much as Kingsford’s, however, there are a few wonderful poems that I will happilly list below.
- An Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, by Thomas Gray, is my favourite poem in the world, and the only poem I would say I enjoy more than the poetry of Herbert Kingsford. His Ode to a Favourite Cat is also a great poem.
- The Absent Lover, and To Death: An Irregular Ode, both by Stephen Duck.
- Poems 40 and 51 in A Shropshire Lad, by A.E.Housman.
- Ode on Drinking, as well as The Conclusion, both by Allan Ramsay.
- The Reward of Song and The Man Who Discovered the Use of a Chair, both by Alfred Noyes.
- And you can never go wrong with Spike Milligan.
I’d recommend reading any of these to anyone, and hope that anyone who does take a look at any of them enjoys them as much as I do.
Farewell, for now, fine reader,
Mike