Mavis was a real person, and a friend of my mother's. I had a difficult childhood. My mother was violent and unpredictable, and we didn't have much money. When we used to visit Mavis, she would let me go into her big room (which didn't have a name!), and I would play her piano. The sense of peace I got there was immense --- it was an oasis of calm, very much needed for this little girl. Most people are drawn to poetry in the first instance because of its cathartic qualities. I decided to reach inside to find the good stuff to go along with all the bad stuff --- Mavis was a big part of that.

 

Another person very important to me was an old Irish man who lived across the road from me. Below is an audio recording of the poem I wrote about him.