Impspired Title

IN A SENSE

by PAUL GIRVAN

Paul Girvan has given us a poetic work of abundance, variety and excellence. Seven distinct sections range from enjoyable – and knowing – comic exercises to exotic sharp-eyed travel pieces and heartfelt occasional lyrics. But we are also taken deeper into Girvan’s gifts with such technical achievements as ‘Camino’, where the rhymes work like the cut teeth in a cog and the whole proceeds impressively, or of a pattern poem like ‘Skelling Michael’ where typographical playfulness meets and supports the line by line construction (and in fact Izaak Walton provides an epigraph, so we can assume the presence of George Herbert in Girvan’s pantheon). I would also single out ‘A Blank Canvas’, a topical poem which releases a metaphysical literacy in the poet that will outlast its prompting moment. At least twice in this collection we are reminded that the literal burdens of the judiciary – the groaning unignorable files, the potential consequence of every little detail and hence the ethical duty to attend – are also metaphorical burdens of a rare weight. Paul Girvan has written a book like a man released from such and so into an enviable fluency and range where his readers will be delighted to follow. James Peake, Writer of ‘The Stars in the Branches’ From the first page of this, Paul’s first collection, we sense that we are about to encounter a writer of great erudition. Reading these poems we discover the scope of Paul’s knowledge and interests and share his enjoyment of language, rhythm, and rhyme – especially rhyme! We’ll find that he isn’t afraid to use archaic vocabulary, syntax, and metre where this will speed the music of the lines, calling to mind as he does to the links between past and present in the themes and scenes he shares with us. Sue Steging, Seamus Heaney Award Winner 2023