Responding to two Simon Armitage 'Tenterhooks' poems

A pair of writing exercises in response to poems written for the 'Tenterhooks' project in Marsden

Image credit: National Centre for Writing

I spent Monday last week working with Holmfirth High School’s poetry group. The fact that a poetry group exists is one thing - the fact that over 20 pupils attended is even better. We were responding to four Simon Armitage poems written for this Tenterhooks project in Marsden.

The poems are available to use on the ‘Tenterhooks’ website. And as I developed some writing exercises in response to them, I thought it’d be a shame not to share these with you lovely people. I’m aware that some of you live a very long way away from Marsden and may not have even heard of it. But that’s part of the fun, eh?

I’m going to share and discuss the poems with everybody. And I’ll leave the writing prompts exclusively for paid subscribers. I’m trying to find the best balance for this: the vast majority of my subscribers are on the free plan, and I don’t want to leave you out, but I also need to add value for those who are paying.

On that note, I realise I’ve been quiet recently, for which I apologise. March was outrageously busy for various reasons, and I’ll post extra content over the coming weeks to make sure it balances out!

So, here we go. The first of the poems is called Highway A62 Revisited. I’ll look at two today and two later this week. The first thing to discuss here is the title. None of the Holmfirth High students were familiar with the Bob Dylan album, and for those unfamiliar with the North of England, the A62 runs between Leeds and Manchester - skirting past Marsden on its way.

It’s worth searching Marsden if you don’t know it, just for context - it’s a large village in the Colne Valley (Northern England), and I’d say it’s at least semi-rural.

Simon Armitage poem Highway A62 Revisited

I love the juxtaposition in this poem. It brilliantly captures our multifaceted relationships with our hometowns/cities/villages. In particular, there’s childlike imagery alongside violent imagery, sometimes within the same line. Even the imagery that’s not directly violent is still potent and visceral: “nails by the fistful”, for example.

There are undoubtedly some specific and niche local references in there, that’ll have a much greater impact on people familiar with Marsden. However, I also feel that it holds universal truths, particularly for places slightly smaller and more remote.

The way that he repeats “Marsden” sounds either accusatory or reverential. I asked the pupils to read chunks of this poem as though they were having a scathing row with Marsden and then again if they were declaring their blazing passions for Marsden. It’s this intimacy and familiarity that gives the poem so much power.

There’s beautifully vivid, poetic description in there alongside surrealism and mischief. Read it a few times and consider how you might approach this with your hometown/city/village.

Next, we’ll look at Cradle. This title is more important than the previous poem in terms of establishing the tone and guiding the reader towards its meaning. I’m also aware that there are far more niche local references here - I confess to not knowing any of these myself. However, that’s a useful point to explore.

Simon Armitage poem Cradle

As I said, I don’t know any of these niche local references either. But in the context of the poem, you can presume what they’re referring to - with aspects of the natural landscape alongside residents’ nicknames for distinctive landmarks.

You’ll also notice that the opening and closing lines contain “find me asleep.” This links to the title, but it does more than that; again, it summons the incomparable comfort you might attach to your hometown/city/village.

The reference to “words not written on maps” is central to this poem, and I’ll expand on that in one of my prompts. I also love how the poem takes us through the stages of life: from christening and breast milk to silver hair and eventually, a ghost.

Again, you could consider how you might rewrite this with your locality in mind, or you might attempt to explore your life journey through various places.