it's World Poetry Day, which is not a bad way to spend on Monday. I was always a fan of poetry, mostly because poems were short except for the epic poems, which were literally epic. But it's the equivalent of liking short films instead of TV Siri's that are 22 hours long. You read it in a short time, and you may or may not like it, but it's all over so quickly. So I'm a fan of brevity, especially the soul of wit. Even shorter than the poem is the aphorism. Something I didn't even know existed till I came across the work of Don Patterson, a Scottish poet and lecturer at ST Andrews whose book The Book of Shadows, was something I came across in later life. Growing up, I had this great English teacher called Mrs Hurley, who loved teaching and talking about to BB Yates in any interest I had. The subject was down to her. Unfortunately, she died before her work with me was finished on. I had to go on and sit my exams alone, but did so well just because of her. It's one of the teachers like that could leave an echo for so many years. Some time ago, my family bought a boat on. They wanted a name. So I decided, Hey, call it buys anti because then you're sailing on by Santa. I'm not sailing to Byzantium. I thought was very clever and they all just stared at me. But then ask me later, How do you spell by Santa? So from Don Patterson, jazz musician, poets and obese and wisdom. Dear Keith. All my teachers have been women, though several men have taken me aside for now, er to tell me things they know if I try to write anything longer than a single sentence. I found myself just making things up. Consolations of egomania, how often in his life to the mother to himself grit your teeth and think of the biographer's Dear Don, Thank you for writing books, I can admit. Now that is a younger man. I gifted your book to young women. I was willing, in the healthy mystic, your wisdom for mine. It worked sometimes

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