It’s Tuesday, the dVerse Poets Pub is open with a choice of popular drinks and snacks, and I’m Kim from writinginnorthnorfolk.com.

I’m more than halfway through a BBC Maestro poetry course, written by Carol Ann Duffy, and I’m using her expertise to create new and rework old poems, some of which I hope to include in a collection for next year.

Duffy says that “dead poets speak to us across time through their poems, and they particularly speak to other poets”, who often choose to respond across time.

Your challenge today is to read three poems by dead poets and respond to ONE of them in your own way.

I chose poets from different times and places: Siegfried Sassoon, one of the war poets, Dylan Thomas, one of my favourite British poets, and Maya Angelou, one of my favourite American poets. All have different styles and write about different topics.

The first poem is:

When I’m among a Blaze of Lights by Siegfried Sassoon 1886 (Matfield, Kent) – 1967 (Heytesbury, Wiltshire)

^{Sassoon photographed in 1915 by George Charles Beresford found on Wikipedia}

Siegfried Loraine Sassoon, CBE, MC was an eminent English poet, writer, and soldier. Decorated for bravery on the Western Front, he became one of the leading poets of the First World War. His poetry both described the horrors of the trenches, and satirised the patriotic pretensions of those who, in Sassoon’s view, were responsible for a jingoism-fuelled war.

The second poem is:

Once It Was the Colour of Saying by Dylan Thomas 1914 (Swansea) – 1953 (New York)

^{Thomas at the Gotham Book Mart in New York City, 1952 found on Wikipedia}

Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems “Do not go gentle into that good night” and “And death shall have no dominion”, as well as the “play for voices” Under Milk Wood.

The third poem is:

Caged Bird by Maya Angelou 1928 (St. Louis, Missouri) – 2014 (Winston-Salem, North Carolina)

^{Portrait of Maya Angelou from the first edition of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969) found on Wikipedia}

An acclaimed American poet, storyteller, activist, and autobiographer, Maya Angelou had a broad career as a singer, dancer, actress, composer, and Hollywood’s first female black director.

When you have read and chosen ONE of the poems above, respond to it in any form of your choice. You may mirror the original poem, uses words and phrases from it, but it must be an original, personal response.

If you are new to dVerse and/or Poetics, here’s how to join in:

• Write a poem in response to the challenge;
• Enter a link directly to your poem and your name by clicking Mr Linky below;
• There you will find links to other poets, and more will join so check back to see more poems;
• Read and comment on other poets’ work – we all come here to have our poems read;
• Please link back to dVerse from your site/blog;
• Comment and participate in our discussion below, if you like. We are a friendly bunch of poets.
• Have fun.