This forum was my introduction to Deborah's work. (OK, so I live under a rock.) While I admire all the poems quoted here, I have to acknowledge the genius at work in "SHEEPDOG TRIALS AT BLEINAU FFESTINIOG." I've never read a more accurate description of these dogs. And while I'm not a advocate of imitative form (you know, the poem about angels typed into the shape of wings on a page), the way that Deborah handles these lines and the language so that you have a sense that at any moment both are just going to rip out of her control and go careening down page, is exactly the feeling you have when you see these dogs at work. With long, hard training, they will go from zero to a hundred mph and then a dead stop in seconds, leaving you breathless with admiration, as I am of Deborah.
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