for the text of all Armitage's poems click here

Pattern is present, past, present, enabling the poet to explain his feelings then and now. The surface meaning is just a memory but when we look closely, we can see a mixture of feelings powerfully expressed.

Verse 1: feelings of regret (bothered), nostalgia (played), and bravado (called your name)

Verse 2: feelings of pride (unrivalled) and betrothal (rings..marked for eternity) mixed with fear (couldn't shake off) when realises the effect.

Note how this trick is a painful mirror reflection of getting married

Verse 3: feelings of apology (that was just...), explanation (he didn't really want to hurt and when he saw the pain wanted to put butter on the bums), love (even now he's not quite grown up about these things, and says 'don't believe me'...perhaps he lacks confidence and fears rejection?)

Note the way alliteration makes key words stand out, e.g. Bothered and Bad and rhyme suggests love in 6 and 7 (name... flame - an old flame is an old girlfriend) Note how he relishes the moment - like a groom -'you slipped your thumb and middle finger in'- we have to linger on the word 'slipped.'

It Ain't What You Do

The feelings in this poem are of pride that you can enjoy life to the full -and make poetry out of it-from SIMPLE experiences near to home, like skimming stones or helping at a day centre.

Look at the grand things he has NOT done. His feeling is not regret but pride. Notice how in lines 11-12 the rhythm (beat) suggests the stone skimming, pausing at the semi-colon; and sinking

'I felt each stone's inertia/Spend itself against the water: then sink'

He does the same in lines 16 and 20 (where the feeling is 'the sheer enjoyment of being alive' as Armitage said this poem was about.

Think about the 'ripples' in line 10. These symbolise the poet's feelings of intense joy in life. He does NOT envy poets who have had grand experiences just to get ideas for poems. (The surface meaning might suggest envy; the subtle meaning is that ordinary life is good enough.)

Cataract Operation

This poem too is about feelings, great and excited feelings on being able to see again. It is also about poetry, because the images are overdone, exaggerated in each verse. Poetry can tell us the 'larger than life' feeling.

Examine each verse and make sure you understand the metaphors. Notice how many common expressions are cleverly used (e.g. 'monkey business'- something mischievous) in a serious poem.

The person is ecstatic at being able to see again. The subtle meaning is to make us realise what we take for granted.