Larkin About

Hello Poetry Lovers

A Happy New Year to you.

To sum up the New Year, I have decided to feature a poem by Philip Larkin from 1974.

I have mixed feelings about Mr Larkin, some of his pieces unmove me and others have made my eyes moist.

However, this particular poem really draws up a new year for me. (And a great excuse to sketch some trees!). I’m afraid Dobby got in on the act as usual.

It is a lovely piece, so do read on…

The Trees (1974)

The trees are coming into leaf
Like something almost being said;
The recent buds relax and spread,
Their greenness is a kind of grief.

Is it that they are born again
And we grow old? No, they die too.
Their yearly trick of looking new
Is written down in rings of grain.

Yet still the unresting castles thresh
In fullgrown thickness every May.
Last year is dead, they seem to say,
Begin afresh, afresh, afresh.

Philip Larkin 1974

Wasn’t that a beautiful piece? If you have any Larkin favourites yourself, please write in.

Thanks for tuning in, PL’s. We’ll be back with more poetry adventures real soon….