Poems are experiences

Good poems are experiences and, like music, may not be readily understood. It is the conjunction between the sound of the poem, its music, and the meaning of the words that creates an effect. The poem creates echoes of meaning for each reader; words triggering memories, images, ideas and emotions. I remember years ago hearing John Agard reading Blake’s Tyger. A woman in the audience cried and later I asked her why. ‘It was like hearing the earth speak to me,’ she said.

Pie Corbett

Each year group has a list of poems that they will learn and perform to an audience.