“I myself am bored / of fig leaves, of shames / I did not choose” – from ‘About Ana’

Poetry is our human love of metaphor. We see one thing and think something else - 'Travels in Peru', Geoffrey Lehmann

If death still comes / we'll strike a pose / and hold our breath / until he goes - Kevin Ireland

Allen writes poetry that is limpid, very subtle and marvellously wise. - William Boyd

The verse flexes muscle after muscle...The writing...can hover and dance. It has genuine grace. - George Szirtes

Paradoxes interest me and the desire for beauty, for meaning, for whatever might counterbalance our commodified world... (Peter Boyle)

Intimates' faces up to life at every turn. It celebrates, it laments, it answers back. David Constantine.

Good writing gives energy, whatever it is about. But the fact that writers are dealing with essential issues...I think that's a necessary integration of literary writing with what's actually going on in our world. - Marilyn Hacker

If it's a good idea, go ahead and do it. It's much easier to apologise than it is to get permission. - Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper

Now if the harvest is over / And the world cold / Give me the bonus of laughter / As I lose hold. - 'A Nip in the Air', John Betjeman