The order that poems appear in the book is more thematic than chronological, although most very early poems written in my teens are included towards the start. The following is a list of poems grouped by the decade in which they were written together with the page they appear in Line by Line. I’ve tried to make the list as close to chronological as possible, but the order may be out for some that I never dated and uncovered whilst preparing the book.
sixties
Infinity ∞
Standing on my head 4
seventies
Empathy 5
A tender trap 6
You asked for it 65
Look carefully 9
Growing up 10
Getting stuffed 14
Sexual violence 17
Cold comfort 25
Fag ash 34
Weight of the world 41
A Battersea bushman 44
Off the beaten track 114
eighties
One small step 18
Gritstone Edge 12
The angry years 20
I could sing a rainbow 26
A parting wave 77
Les plaisirs anglais 67
A rational inquiry 82
The myth of the expert 109
The heart in darkness 42
Processed words 69
Wat Pho 80
Jiworn (จีวร) 47
In the giant’s bedroom 48
Storm clouds 51
Her gift 52
Blue 54
Before the gold rush 28
Linguaggio del corpo 57
A journey to Amalfi 58
Dictionary, best page ever? 66
nineties
Supposedly 31
Stepping stones 32
Master class 73
Innumerate wisdom 74
Beckett’s head 81
Birth day 87
noughties
Inventing the world 88
Remember this moment 90
Artemisia’s box 93
AZ1923 60
A Battersea rose 36
Heartbeat 3
Shooting stars 101
tens
Icy comforts 68
Aurora 110
The endless strand 120
Sacred Paths 117
A blessing 118
Wingman 112
Quantised infinity 119
Dad’s milk 96
Confetti 35
Last words 98
I believe 83
Line by Line 