Sketching a Thatcher - Ted Hughes

It is important to nourish the mind not just musically, but, through all the arts.
Robin has almost as many books about artists as he does musicians.
He also is a great believer in reading, and, has a particular fondness for poetry.

His current companion is a book of selected poems by Ted Hughes.
Hughes was born in Mytholmroyd, West Riding, Yorkshire, and spent some years living in Mexborough, South Yorkshire.
Maybe this contributes to Robin's enjoyment of Hughes's poetry, as they are areas with which Robin is very familiar.

Today's favourite, which we both read, was, 'Sketching a Thatcher'.
The poem gives such an incredibly vivid and descriptive portrait of the thatcher, that it is impossible not to have a clear image in your mind within just a few lines.
Just to give you a taster, which hopefully you will follow up and read further, here are the first few lines:

'Bird-bones is on the roof. Seventy-eight
And still a ladder squirrel,
Three or four nitches at a time, up forty rungs,
Then crabbing out across the traverse,
Cock-crows of insulting banter, liberated
Into his old age, like a royal fool
But still tortured with energy. Thatching
Must be the sinless job.'

It's no coincidence that artists, traditionally seek out each others company. Be they poets, authors or musicians, their relationship is highly symbiotic inspiring each other to new artistic heights.