My ersthwile poetry buddy Martin Stannard has brought out a new book. I haven't seen it yet, but it contains the poems in the Leafe Press pamphlet 'Coral', and I'm looking forward to getting a copy. Martin has jumped ship from Nottingham and now lives in China, so our days of meeting for a pint in The Lincolnshire Poacher on Mansfied Road are sadly, long over. Martin now has a blog on which he posts his current output - apparently throw-away pieces, humorous, casual, slightly surreal. At least he makes them look throw-away. But try writing stuff like this and you'll find it's anything but easy to do. Here' a couple of samples:


POEMS OF IMPROVEMENT (2)

diary poems are so dull
like there is nothing
else to write about

I just saw 21 nuns a-walking


IN POEMS THINGS STAND FOR OTHER THINGS (4)

If we pump the lake into a balloon and cast it to the sky it will burn
Fall at all these feet and these wheels there is not room enough look down
Sudden onset of herds of thinkings of flocks of distractions of what
Is heading for the instant your smile explodes so the world can vanish

The new book (these poems are not from it) is £8.95 (incl. postage). ISBN: 978-0-905127-14-9 from Shadowtrain.
For more information, email shadow2train@yahoo.com