Twelve Poems

First printed book

Poems on this site:

As poem cards:

Twelve Poems was printed in 1978 in a short run to give to friends and relatives on my 21st birthday.

The twelve poems were hand set in 12 pt Garamond and printed on an Albion press at the School of Librarianship at the Polytechnic of North London (as it then was).

The last poem in the book, though not the last written, was The Accident, and this has been published in a number of magazines.

Because of technical problems with the press, the printing was not finished in time, and it was necessary to print a keepsake to hand out on my actual birthday in place of the book itself.

Both the text and the printed version of the Keepsake Poem appear here.

Twelve Poems – cover

The cover was made from Tre Kroner card with grey Ingres paper wrappers stitched into the pages.

Twelve Poems – title page

The title page was kept very plain. The pages were printed on dampened Glastonbury pure white antique laid paper.

Twelve Poems – 'The Accident'

'The Accident' was the last poem in the book, and I wrote it when I was 19. It was subsequently published in several magazines: Orbis (1992), Quartos (1993) and Vigil (1993). Click on the page to go to the poem.

Twelve Poems – cover

The cover was made from Tre Kroner card with grey Ingres paper wrappers stitched into the pages.

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Keepsake Poem

I thought to show composure,

So it does not please me much

To make this brief disclosure:

'I've no evidence of such,'

It's not that I am flurried,

You can see that if you look,

But despite how much I've hurried

I still don't have my book.

So please retain this keepsake

Which I will later trade,

Presenting you with what I make

Instead of what I've made.

(1978)