A Few Words on Seamus Heaney

It's been just over a day now since we learnt of Heaney's death. In place of flowers, social networks are full of tweets and updates featuring quotations and indeed whole poems written by Heaney. Some people are sharing anecdotes about him, creating vivid impressions of the man. There was one story somewhere about his kindness to a boy before a reading and him later dedicating a poem to his 'young friend' in the audience.

Today I have somehow done my back in a bit, which is a pain as well as painful. Hoping it will go away soon as. On the other hand it means I have some time propped up on pillows, re-reading Heaney's poetry and watching a documentary where he talks about his own poetry and some of the inner conflicts about reconciling the 'lyric' with the 'dramatic'; the need for poetic truth as well as everyday truth. Heaney managed to achieve that balance. His language was hard and real like a mouthful of toffee, yielding sweetness.