David Whyte
David Whyte
David Whytewas an English professional footballer who played as a striker...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionPoet
fierce lyrical aspect
There's a fierce practicality and empiricism which the whole imaginative, lyrical aspect of poetry comes from.
looks elbows manipulation
Poetry is a street fighter. It has sharp elbows. It can look after itself. Poetry can't be used for manipulation; it's why you never see good poetry in advertising.
mainstream-society interesting quality
By definition, poetry works with qualities and dynamics that mainstream society is reluctant to face head-on. It's an interesting phenomenon that by necessity, poetry is just below the radar.
break poetry-is
Poetry is a break for freedom.
alertness-is discipline alertness
Alertness is the hidden discipline of familiarity.
average narrative truthful
It is the province of poetry to be more realistic and present than the artificial narratives of an outer discourse, and not afraid of the truthful difficulty of the average human life.
self world shapes
We shape our self to fit this world and by the world are shaped again
inspirational plans
What you plan is too small for you to live.
loss looks gains
A good poem looks life straight in the face, unflinching, sincere, equal to revelation through loss or gain.
body felt
The great poems are not about experience, but are the experience itself, felt in the body.
art skills world
Poetry is often the art of overhearing yourself say things you didn't know you knew. It is a learned skill to force yourself to articulate your life, your present world or your possibilities for the future.
writing want feels
If I don't have time for the writing, it's because I'm not making that time. It's really just a question of whether you want to or not, whether you feel you deserve to write or not.
your-side rivers discipline
I love the best of all the traditions. My discipline is the take-no-prisoners language of good poetry, but a language that actually frees us from prejudice, no matter what religion or political persuasion they are. I try to create a river-like discourse. The river is not political, it's not on your side or against you. It's an invitation into the onward flow.
expectations woven fabric
In England especially, poetry's woven into the background fabric of society. And in Ireland, it's in the foreground. The place of the poet in Irish society is enormous. If you say you're a poet in Ireland, you'd better know what you're doing, because the standard and the expectations are incredibly high.