Hello Dom. Welcome to the Poetry Zone.
Hello Roger! Thanks for inviting me to your poetry home. I’m feeling inspired already!
So, tell us, when did you start writing?
Always writing never fighting
Using words to let the light in
Since a babe of just turned three
Dom Conlon liked his poetry.
When at first the words were new
He chose the books he liked to chew
But now he writes just for himself
And lives upon a wooden shelf
So when did Dom first get his start?
The moment of his beating heart.
Why do you write poetry?
It’s shorter.
Shorter than what?
It’s shorter than the thoughts that linger
after a poem that ends with tears or laughter.
Shorter than the echo from a word
really, truly, deeply heard.
Do you write anything other than poetry?
I have written my name from time to time.
And sometimes it gets wrapped in rhyme
I’ll shake things up with other names
And turn them into silly games.
But mostly what I do is write
Whatever words there are in sight
And sometimes I will use my diction
For curious forms of prose non-fiction.
Do you write for adults?
I write for children of every age
From the youngest fool
To the eldest sage.
How long does it take to write a poem?
Half a mile. Unless I run, and then it takes an hour.
Tell me about your work with schools.
I visit schools across the land
I visit libraries, book in hand
I visit these most frequently
Then visit mum for cake and tea
What was your most memorable day?
Thursday.
I squeezed a lifetime
between the tick of its hours,
losing myself in the poetry
of listening
as class after class
in the North East of England
plucked stars from their sky
and lit my day.
Do you have a brilliant and exciting book of poetry which anybody reading this interview
might want to buy and keep beside them at all times?
I’m glad you asked me that, Roger. It just so happens that I have brought such a book with me today. It is called This Rock That Rock and every poem in it was inspired by the Moon. It has been beautifully illustrated by Viviane Schwarz, and it has chapters on writing and thinking about poetry and art. It costs £7.99 from any good bookshop but I always like to leave the option for people to pay more. Tip your poet, kids. And your hairdresser.
Do you have any plans for the future?
I see an old man
wild-eyed and bent-backed
holding out his hand
and beckoning me forward.
His eyes are my eyes
his heart is my heart.
I will walk towards him
knowing he will guide me well.
Lovely. And what an enjoyable interview that was.
It has been a pleasure. You’ve helped me pause and think and consider what poetry means to me.
And I’d like to thank you for all the words you share with us, all the times you encourage and inspire.
It’s always appreciated.
Well, thank you, Dom.
