Love dogs or hate dogs? Either way, this one is for you. Here we wave hello to Billy Collins and Jack Underwood with their poems Another Reason Why I Don't Keep a Gun in the House and A man is dragging a dead dog, respectively.

But these poems take us further than just having a nice time reading about dogs; they raise questions about the role of the reader, and highlight the way imagination underpins our reading.

There's humour and darkness in equal measure. We bounce from barking dogs to Beethoven to a bizarre street scene where the reader takes over the role of the main character.

Listen and enjoy!

Instagram = @WaterskiingOn Poetry https://www.instagram.com/waterskiingonpoetry/

To read the poems use these links -

Billy Collins -

https://allpoetry.com/Another-Reason-Why-I-Don't-Keep-A-Gun-In-The-House

Jack Underwood -

https://poetryarchive.org/poem/man-dragging-dead-dog/

Essay by Jack Underwood -

https://poetrysociety.org.uk/underwood-uncertain-subjects/

How do we get through the day when war is on our televisions, and who cares about that stuff when we've got cartoons to watch and pubs to go to? Carol Ann Duffy and George Bilgere help explore the matter in War Photographer and Pancake Dilemma. War is serious - so is it okay if one of these poems is actually funny?

Find the poems here - https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/war-photographer/

https://rattle.com/pancake-dilemma-by-george-bilgere/

George Bilgere is here https://www.georgebilgere.com/

See Don McCullin photographs here https://donmccullin.com/

Two stellar poems are being held up to the light for our exploration. In the Paul Farley poem a whole city disappears, but only for a moment. Whilst in the Louis MacNeice poem the concept of time is stretched out to an astronomical scale.

Find the poems here

https://allpoetry.com/poem/8495809-Star-Gazer-by-Louis-MacNeice

https://www.poetryinternational.com/en/poets-poems/poems/poem/103-17537_LIVERPOOL-DISAPPEARS-FOR-A-BILLIONTH-OF-A-SECOND

Let me know what you think of the poems on here or on Instagram - at WaterskiingOnPoetry

What would life be without a bit of leisure, doing nothing, staring out the window? Butt wait, there's that nagging feeling you should be doing something 'useful'.

In this episode we put two poems head to head in the Beauty V Duty battle. Who will win?!

Find the poems here - Robert Frost =

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42891/stopping-by-woods-on-a-snowy-evening

WH Davies =

https://www.poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/leisure

Let me know your winner on Instagram -- https://www.instagram.com/waterskiingonpoetry/?igsh=MXVhcnJ5MXI0aTNiNg%3D%3D#

I've been guilty in my time of taking my mother for advantage, let's face it, we all have. So let's make amends and let's celebrate the mothers in this world who do so much that goes unnoticed by the people they care for... until one day they show people they've still got it!

In this episode. 'The Raincoat' by Ada Limón is put alongside 'Mother, Diving' by Andrew Forster - and the mother of all surprises results.

Find the poems here -

'The Raincoat' by Ada Limónhttps://poets.org/poem/raincoat

'Mother, Diving' by Andrew Forster (see page 6)

https://delasalleenglish.weebly.com/uploads/5/9/0/8/5908529/unit_2_poetry_across_time_specimen_exam__f.pdf

Let me know what you think of the poems on here -- https://www.instagram.com/waterskiingonpoetry/?igsh=MXVhcnJ5MXI0aTNiNg%3D%3D#

Today Neil goes waterskiing across the past, future and present with 'Old Man' by Edward Thomas and 'Blueberries' by James Lasdun. Thoughts about our early memories, and also the question "Where will you be in twenty years?" are brought to the surface in these time-bending poems.

Instagram - WaterskiingOnPoetry https://www.instagram.com/waterskiingonpoetry?igsh=MXVhcnJ5MXI0aTNiNg==

Find the poems here -

Edward Thomas, Old Man https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/57210/old-man-56d23a7a628f2

James Lasdun, Blueberries https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/89519/blueberries

Leaving school and getting out into the big wide world - exciting or terrifying? Let's see what Carol Ann Duffy says in her poem 'In Mrs Tilscher's Class' and also what Seamus Heaney has to say in 'Death of a Naturalist', two terrific poems that might make us long for the past when life seemed a little easier.

I'm on Instagram at WaterskiingonPoetry

https://www.instagram.com/waterskiingonpoetry?igsh=MXVhcnJ5MXI0aTNiNg==

Put 'Birds of Prey' by Claude McKay next to 'Hawk Roosting' by Ted Hughes and boy, do they sing to each other!

Are we really reading poems about birds? Yes - and no! Let's see how how politics, dictators and the ruthless desire for power is really at the heart of these poems.

I'm on Instagram at WaterskiingOnPoetry

https://www.instagram.com/waterskiingonpoetry?igsh=MXVhcnJ5MXI0aTNiNg==

https://neilelderpoetry.wordpress.com/