Dreaming poems with
Clare Bevan

For this interview we asked Jacksdale School to provide the questions. Thanks to everyone at Jacksdale who contributed
and a special thanks to Mr Walton who helped.

What is your favourite poem and who is your favourite poet?

A very hard question, because sometimes I like to read funny poems and sometimes I prefer something moody and mysterious. But I've admired Brian Patten's A Small Dragon for a L.. O.. N.. G.. time and Charles Causley is my BIG hero because he wrote such beautiful, rhyming poems.

Which of your own poems are you most fond of?

That's a tricky question too. I'm proud of some of my serious poems because they make people feel dreamy or shivery or both at once. My favourite silly poem is called Fowl Play and it's about a chicken football team led by a rooster called David Peckham. My dreamiest non-rhyming poem is The Black Cat which is about my kind old tomcat who died last year. It's not quite true but the cat in the poem is a lot like him.

Fowl Play

The roosters chanted
"Ra! Ra! Ra!
The other team
We'll wreck 'em -
We're the kings
Of feathered things
And we've got
David Peckham."

They tackled hens,
They tackled wrens
They pulverised an owl,
But when they cackled,
"We're the champs!"
the other birds squawked,
"Fowl!!!"

Did you start to write poems because you were just bored, or because you didn't have any hobbies?

When I was still too small to see over the sweet shop counter, I was asked to recite a poem and I discovered two things. I like the feel of words on my tongue and I loved standing in front of an audience. Since then my main hobbies have always been reading, writing and acting… and sometimes I've managed to do all three at once. I've written plays that rhyme and plays that don't. I've entertained people with my poems and stories. I've become all sorts of characters, from a Shakespearian sprite to a crazy cockerel (not more chickens!) And I just don't seem to find time to feel bored. (But if I did I'd read another book. Or write one.)

You like to make people laugh -
but some of your poems are sad aren't they?

That's true. And it's all because of the previous answer. Sometimes when I'm inventing a poem I like to slip inside someone else's skin (like an actor putting on a fantastic costume. ) Then I can be anyone or anything I want. I've been a badly-behaved washing machine, a sorry volcano, a savage dinosaur, a lonely Victorian housemaid, a frightened Viking… Try it yourself - it's the BEST fun. (But sometimes I write sad poems because I'm feeling a bit sad myself. That's why I wrote The Black Cat.)

The Black Cat

The black cat was fond of fairies
He liked the gloss of their wings
And the way they darted across the lawn.

At first, he watched them secretly,
Through glass,
And from the middle of a thorn bush,
But when they waved at him
He crept closer, closer
Until they would rest on his paws
Or gather soft handfuls of his fur
With spiky combs.

His golden eyes reflected
The sparks of their wands
And he only showed his fangs
To other cats,
And the skinny fox.

In his dreams
He did not fly
Or cast spells over mice
And magpies
But sometimes he danced
In moonlit circles
With the Fairy Queen

What's your best place to write a poem?

I do have favourite places. Weedy corners of the garden. My own, quiet den (which is full of cat books and pictures) But the real answer is anywhere, anytime. Especially after a long walk. So I suppose I should say - my notebook. I take it with me wherever I go. Just in case.

What do you do when you haven't got an idea?

Four things.
1. Worry. A lot. Tell myself I'll never write a good poem again. EVER. (This doesn't help at all.)
2. Do a horrible job I've been putting off for ages. (This doesn't help either, but at least the stick insects get cleaned out.)
3. Go for a long walk, whatever the weather. (Sometimes this works so well, I race home again with a headful of poems.)
4. Get extremely angry with myself, and shut myself in my den. Then I won't let myself out until I've written SOMETHING. (This works brilliantly, particularly if there's a cream cake waiting for me in the kitchen.)

How do you write so quickly?

Panic mainly. Some days my calendar says Finish those poems now! And somehow - I do!

How many poems have you written? I bet over fifty.

You're not wrong. I've written hundreds. It's ridiculous. I've filled folders and boxes and shelves and cupboards and lofts and I just can't stop. Help!

Have you ever written a poem and thought, 'It's not very good.'

Yes. Sometimes I scribble them out. Sometimes I turn them into missiles and throw them in the bin (if I don't miss.) But sometimes I go back to them later and do my best to make them better.

Do you ever use your poems to raise money for other people?

Yes. I've printed some little books of Christmas poems, and they've helped to raise funds for people with cancer and muscular dystrophy.

How many books have you written?

Not counting the little ones I've printed myself, I've now had seventeen books published and there are two more on the way (when I've finished them!) Most of these are stories, but seven of them are poetry books for children. My latest book is Fairy Poems.

Fairy Poems by Clare Bevan
(Macmillan Children's Books)

A sparkling collection of poems about fairies for everyone who believes in magic! All sorts of fairy secrets are revealed in this book! There are spells for fairy godmothers, recipes for fairy cakes, songs for fairy pets, lessons in flying and an invitation to the fairy ball, to name but a few. Perfect for any fairy fan!

What does it feel like when you see a poem of yours in a bookshop?

Wow! Hooray! I just can't believe it. Is it really me?

How many funny poems do you write in fourteen weeks and one day?

None. I write them all in my notebook. I think I ought to say ninety nine. But some days I write six poems, some days I write none at all, and some days I'm just not funny. (By the way, what's the right answer?)

Do you like to make your poems rhyme or not rhyme?

Both. Depending. Sad and serious poems often work better if they don't rhyme. Funny, happy poems seem to bounce along better with lots of rhythm and rhyme. But I quite like breaking the rules, so I've written dreamy poems that rhyme and silly poems that don't.

Pegasus

Tonight I woke from dreaming
And saw a shadow pass -
A horse swooped by my window
And now it pounds the grass.

His mane is pale as moonlight,
His silver feathers shine,
His tail streams like a comet
And his starry eyes meet mine.

His mighty wings are beating,
So now I must decide
To hide my face in terror
Or to trust my dreams…
And RIDE!

(A dreamy poem that rhymes)

Bourbons

My little brother thought
That the scary ladies
With evil eyes
And snakes in their hair
Were called
Bourbons.

So

Whenever our aunties
Asked us round for tea,
We would cover our faces
And shout:
DON'T LOOK AT THE BISCUITS -
THEY'LL TURN YOU TO STONE!

And our aunties
Would glare at us
Like Gorgons.

(A silly poem that doesn't rhyme.)

Where do you get your titles from?

Some titles are really easy. They can pop into my head even before I've written the poem. But some have to be hunted down like timid mice, and others are as hard to find as blue hedgehogs. Never mind. Some people give up all together and call their poems Number 51 or Untitled. So I'm not alone.

Was being a poet your dream job?

In fact I've had loads of dream jobs. When I was a Saturday Shampoo Girl I heard some amazing true stories. When I worked in a shoe shop I found an idea for a story of my own. When I was a teacher I was in charge of the library (Heaven!) and I ran a lunchtime club called Bevan's Bookworms. When I'm raising money for charity I get the chance to dress up as Rupert or Boudicca or Maid Marion (and ride my tricycle too.) But being a poet is the best dream job of all, because I still can't quite believe it's happened to me.

Where do you get your ideas from?

Apart from shoe shops? I wish I could tell you. Someone should invent an Incredible Ideas Machine. Then a writer could just twirl the handle, and out would come all the instructions for the next Best Seller. But until that happens, everyone has to find their own tricks. My ideas mostly come when I'm not expecting them. For instance, last week I found a yellow plastic duck sitting in the parking space next to mine. All on its own. Looking sad. Now that would make a great poem. I could pretend to be a little lost duck…

What is it like to be a poet?

Sometimes quiet. Sometimes frantic. Sometimes simply MAGICAL. (And actually, I enjoy all of those.)

Do you write poems every day?

No. But on other days I write so many I feel like a poetry-making popcorn machine. (And sometimes that happens in the middle of the night!)

What was your first ever poem?

The first poem I ever had printed was about a puddle. I was twelve, and it was in my school magazine. I think I liked the way the world seems to turn upside down in a pool of dirty water.

Why in the world do you keep a pot of stick insects in your house?

Well… because I just don't have the heart to throw them out. Our first stick insect was called Tutankhamen, and she became a real mummy when she laid seventy eggs - and they all hatched! At the moment we only have six of the little monsters, and they are her great, great, great, great, great-twigs. Most of the time all they do is hang around, eat privet leaves and play hide and seek. But they have inspired three poems so far. (I'm quite fond of them really!)

Thank you for your questions, Jacksdale Primary School. I've really enjoyed thinking about them - and I hope you've enjoyed my answers, too. Oh, and Coral. I'm glad you enjoyed my Coral Reef Poem.

Back to the top, Robin.