lefalcon’s Profile

I have had the odd poem published in literary magazines such as Acumen, Spokes, Prospice and Core, all literary magazines operating out of the UK between 15 and 20 years ago. In 1990 I published a book titled 'Terrain Chimaera'. Since then I have written the odd poem every now and then, whenever the spirit takes me.

My first influences have been the rhythms of nursery rhymes, the calypsoes of my native Trinidad, and the pop songs of the 70s. As a teenager I was introduced to oriental philosophy, the Japanese haiku, and the writings of Kahlil Gibran. From Gibran I moved to William Blake and then W.B Yeats and then to Philip Larkin. Other poets such as the Emily Dickinson, Theodore Roethke, Derek Walcott and the black American poets of the 60s and 70s were also influences with regards to style and subject matter.

I try to write in a laid-back, understated, conversational style, using average everyday language. The poem really should be a sort of snare, where the reader is lured almost casually into unexpected and somewhat surprising areas, both emotionally and psychologically. The effect of whatever device is used at the end only works work if the groundwork is laid at the beginning, and built on in the middle.