(Taken from the cover note)
…covers his work from 1962-69 , presenting a poet with an impressive command of a variety of themes, moods and styles – from formal lyrics and satires to prose poems, expressionist poems and cut-up.
SIGNS
Signs beckon you, wherever you may look,
Formations in the sky and on the floor;
The phrasing on the spine of Auden’s book,
A street name, and the number on your door.
Words speak to us, whenever we may hear,
Odd chit-chat on the wireless and the bus.
Strange messages arrive from far and near –
Who sends them? Are they really meant for us?
Listen! The world is calling, loud and clear!
Look out! These ‘charming kids’ are armed with flowers!
The Lyons van comes roaring round the square.
God’s garden gate unlocks. The key is ours.