Margaret Leith Minter
Canada

E-mail Address: minterm@telus.net
Please include the word 'POETRY' in the subject line of any email you send.

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Why write poetry, Poet?

I write poetry for relaxation and to put into words situations I feel strongly about. I especially enjoy writing about everyday things around us. World leaders can rant and rave, but they can never take away our enjoyment of the natural world. They cannot destroy the beauty of a sunset, or the intricacies in a spiderweb, or the magic of moonlight.

How did you get started writing poetry?

I started writing for children when I was teaching in Elementary School. I found that many textbooks were sadly lacking in poetry suitable for the classroom. I wish they would encourage children to write more poetry. It is an excellent exercise in mastering the English language. I have gradually expanded into poetry for adults and now that I'm retired I have lots of time.

Who were your influences?

Being a transplanted Scot, I have to say Rabbie Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson, who wrote some marvellous poems for children, and my late father, Tom Morrison, who wrote poetry and songs in the Doric.

Favourite Poetic Verse

Burns' Tam O'Shanter. The rhyming is absolutely effortless and natural.
I also love the old cornkisters of rural Aberdeenshire. They reflect the life of the small farmer, when every day was a challenge but yet they managed to enjoy themselves. I wasn't raised on a farm but my family are from farming stock.
Apart from Scottish verse, I enjoy Shakespeare's Sonnets and the works of Tennyson and Keats.

Publications

I have had a book of children's poetry and stories published and several examples have been accepted by text-book companies in Canada.

Examples of poetry.

A Walk in the Rain   Barnaby's Friend   Contrast   Disbelief   For My Father   Granma's Closet   In Bethlehem Tonight   Jist Think

Leaf Smoke   Memories   Remembrance   Room For Me?   The Children   The Encounter   The Eyes of Africa   The Ocean   The Windae