Boy Running

'Boy Running is made up of the sort of lyrics Henry has specialized in throughout his career. His diction is straightforward, musical but spare, his image-making rich, surprising and rewarding. Henry's rich, wise and regretful poems should be better known than they are.' - Times Literary Supplement 'I thoroughly enjoyed Boy Running. If anything, Henry's lyricism has been distilled still further by his suffering, and has led to his most ambitious work to date. I very much recommend you get hold of a copy.' - Matthew Stewart 'This is a book whose power is extended with each re-reading. Much of its conviction comes from Henry's often startling ability to make us look afresh at familiar things in ways which give us a glimpse into the emotions of others.' - Martin Bartholomew-Biggs Paul Henry has gained a reputation as one of the best poets in the UK. Boy Running is his beautiful sixth collection and the first to follow  The Brittle Sea: New and Selected Poems. We begin in a 'Studio Flat'. Cut adrift by marital break-up, the poet must sort through the emotional fallout and the various 'chattels' left behind; a sea of characteristic props: tables, lamps, metronomes, pianos, guitars. The poet's sons are at the heart of this section where pathos is balanced by humour amidst the characters of a small country town. A second section moves to the Welsh coastal town of Henry's childhood, Aberystwyth, opening with a long poem, 'Kicking the Stone' set in the summer of 1969. Also in this section are some familiar characters from earlier poems such as Brown Helen and Catrin Sands. In the final sequence we meet 'Davy Blackrock': washed-up songwriter and modern day alter ego of Dafydd y Garreg Wen (David of the White Rock), alias David Owen (1720-1749), the blind, 18th century harpist and composer who fell asleep on a hill and dreamt the famous song which bears his name. In contrast to David of the White Rock, Davy Blackrock, 'star of an ashen town', drags his guitar from street to hotel to bedsit, an unsettled ghost who dreams of the perfect song.