I'm not a great reader of poetry. I can process the occasional poem, but a book of them tends to overwhelm me and I start skimming. So I read this one in small chunks, and I think that helped.
John Clare is known as The Northamptonshire poet - and until we moved into the county I'd never heard of him. So time to rectify that with this collection, put together for the younger reader. They are all about nature, with the seasons, the weather, birds, animals and trees feature quite strongly. The set about birds was an interesting read, they all had a different rhythm and phrase structure, so making the birds seem very different in text. The poems weren't all idealistic, it rains in Clare's world, and there are tensions between nature and man. So it seemed more down to earth than some of the romantic poets, who have never seen a rain cloud interfere with their rural idyll. I am aware that this does not include some of his darker works, so I may well explore more of his work later. ( )