Sex and Drugs and Rock-and-Roll

That is a false and misleading title designed to attract readers. Jane, the only person who bothers to comment on my blog, has pointed out to me that the daily readership figures don't tell me what people like or don't like: people have to look at the blog, and so are registered as a viewer for that day, to see if they like it. My feeling that putting poems in reduces readership must be illusory, as it seems unlikely that people have poetry detectors in their web browsers, warning them not to open pages containing poems. So what the hell; here is another poem from my book 'Foreign Correspondence.' And as it is a scan, i.e. a picture of the book page, it also counts as the compulsory daily photograph:

If you can't understand this poem, then a) go away and listen to the Beethoven quartet of the title, b) reflect that poetry, operating at the borders or extremes of language, is necessarily difficult if it's any good, and c) study canine behaviour. Oh, and d), 'Understanding' is not usually what one is supposed to do with poetry anyway. Poems grab one, or not as the case may be. Failure to be grabbed by a poem may indicate a shortcoming in the poem, or it may indicate a shortcoming in the reader. Have a nice day!