Poetry and Ageing
The UK Poet Laureate, Carol Anne Duffy, has invited some of the better known poets, to reflect on ageing. Speaking in the Guardian on Saturday, she says, “Our Society. I believe, is turning gradually away from its obsession with “yoof” and “slebs”. “We are beginning to realise that we face, at the very least, an uncertain future, one in which wisdom and experience – and respect – will need to be accorded a more important role”. She carries on to argue that “A good place to start is to read and listen to some of our most distinguished poets and, through them, to assert the importance of poetry in our culture”. The Guardian has also printed a few poems from poets such as Roger Mcgough’s “Not for me a young man’s death” and Ruth Fainlight’s poem called “Ageing”. There are some links to some of the poets reading their poems about ageing.
Worth a read I think – The full article can be found here. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/mar/13/carol-ann-duffy-poems-ageing