The beauty of poetry is in its subjectivity. As you read the words carefully crafted into a poem, you juggle with them, hoping they land with some meaning. Sometimes the poems resonate and strike you with clarity. Other times you read and re-read and scratch your head wondering what exactly the author meant.
Simon Armitage's The Unaccompanied is a beautiful collection of poetry, that is bleak at times, poignant, humorous, challenging and occasionally confusing and nearly impenetrable.
But that is the point. The poet expresses their viewpoint in word and verse. Only they truly know the meaning of what they write.
So don't be concerned if a poem, a verse, a sentence makes you stop and question what you read...poetry should do this. It should make you smile, laugh, feel anger and injustice, appreciate the world and all the intricacies of life, and make you scratch your head too.
A superb, eclectic collection.