Poetry

YouTube is host to all sorts of things and, though probably not one of the first things you might think of, these include some rather good readings of poetry. Like music, everyone’s taste will be different, so we hope what’s listed here might jog some memories tucked away from years gone by, or encourage you to find new poetry treasures that interest you. Typing ‘classic poetry readings’ or ‘contemporary poetry readings’ into YouTube’s search bar will give you lots to explore, or if you just want a a few of each, here are our suggestions to start:

'If' by Rudyard Kipling read by Sir Michael Caine (2 min 22 sec) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhLxh0YgxRY

50 Classic Poems Read By Celebrities (1 hour 34 min) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1W7VK6Yo4s&t=16s

'Bag of Tools' by R L Sharpe read by Maggie Smith (32 sec) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhg2OtLO-qA&list=PL14DABD8952EDB079&index=5

'When love arrives' (4min 42sec) by Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPG6nJRJeWQ

It can be fun writing your own limericks (where the last words in the first, second and fifth lines rhyme with each other, and the last words in the third and fourth lines rhyme with each other). Here to give you some ideas are two videos. The first is ‘A Sackful of Limericks’ (5min 14sec) written and read by Michael Palin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2E4wwSDBV4 and the second, from the programme QI, shows just how quirky some can get: 'Mathematical Limerick' (2min 7sec) on the QI show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGt1gz-e5-w