All writers understand the power that words can have. However, I also think that poets are able to sift through this potential power and only work with the necessary words in order to make us feel a certain way, or feeding us sentiment in a way that will affirm what we have already thought. Some of these words will make us question what we thought that we had already understood. This is the reason that this blog post is about Jacob Davies.
Having read the interview with Jacob on his upcoming book, ‘The Dream Must Die’, by the journalist Joe Booth, so much of it resonated with me; the openness, the similarities and differences in terms of my own poetry — in particular the fact that I am also told that my poetry is dark and depressing. But Jacob highlights the fact that there is a much deeper meaning to that. To me, it evokes the idea that in order to truly live, we need to be open to all aspects of life — including death — and how that influences life. There are so many poignant sentiments and notions within this interview that I wish to explore and comment on.
At the beginning of the interview, Jacob mentions writing about funeral bells at eleven years old, and that writing is just something fundamental from within. He goes on to mention that he feels so intensely all of the time. I relate to this in many different ways, because feeling so much all the time is not something that just switches off. Poetry is a way of addressing — and perhaps soothing — that. I don't get to 9:00 p.m. in the evening and switch off for the day. I feel intensely all of the time. I feel like a lot of writers feel this way. A large aspect of being a writer is feeling empathy. Crucially, the aspect of not switching off really resonated with me because — although there are many facets to my life — I feel as though I automatically want to dedicate my time equally and fully to each one of these facets. Sometimes, if not all the time, this can overwhelm me. Even when I am feeling overwhelmed, the feeling of emotion does not stop. In the end, I still feel everything. That in itself is exhausting.
Surrounding myself with lots of writers, I find that a lot of us would write regardless of our situation. Even if one day we find ourselves unable to write, we know that we will eventually find ourselves writing again, because the words keep coming. We need to express something, then we need to write down. It doesn't necessarily matter what that is, but it makes us feel better doing it — either physically or emotionally.
In my experience of writing poetry, some poems only need to be quite short to express a particular thought, feeling, or experience. Other poems could simply keep going on, only stopping when I decide. As Jacob references in the interview, there are certain times when a poem can be separated into more than one — with each one expressing the same idea, or different ideas from a different angle and perspective. A poem can be grown from anything. An idea for a poem can grow from a significant event, either physically or emotionally — or it could just be something as ‘mundane’ as somebody mentioning the day’s weather. We never know where the idea will come from, or what that idea might be.
‘The Dream Must Die’ is separated into parts ‘A’ and ‘B’. I love it when a writer includes references to different aspects of their life that are important to them, and pulls these into their writing. In this case, Jacob uses parts ‘A’ and ‘B’, in reference to the A & B sides of vinyl records. It is something that not many people, if any, would not have considered this being a reference, had Jacob not explicitly discussed it in the interview. What is quite amazing is the sense that this adds another layer of meaning to already powerful poetry.
During the interview, Jacob says that he notices loss, sorrow, and unrequited love everywhere. I thought this was particularly interesting because I, too, take note of people's interactions with other people. I can notice when the relationships with other people are flourishing or breaking down, and I consider it all to be part of life and existing here on planet Earth. It is very interesting to watch and to be able to notice. It made me also think about how we as humans miss things that we don't have — or that we miss things or people that we haven't yet lost. It's almost like pre-emptive grief. As much as it is good to see people discussing these things, it is not as though I am thinking about these things all the time. It is my belief that it is important to consider all aspects of life, and how these different aspects interact with each other to make the world and belief systems we have. Like me, Jacob Davies has tried to write from a different angle, but the sadness always seeps through. I relate to this fundamentally, because I am optimistic, but at the same time expect things to go south. I expect sadness to be the prevailing feeling, whether I am currently feeling it or not.
Further along in the interview, the interviewer maintains how Jacob Davies references smaller aspects and components of society and indirection in order to express the larger concepts of society. This hit me like a truck because it is often in the small interactions that we are able to see the truth in people.
It is said that Jacob Davies writes in a voice that is almost from a by-gone era. Which is very interesting as a writer and poet, because we absorb other people's perspective — and almost meld it in terms of our own. At least that is what I find, to a greater or lesser extent. I myself have been described as an old soul, in the sense that I think a lot and use other people's perspectives in order to inform my own, which often leaves me feeling like the odd one out. I get the impression that Davies feels similar, that he feels very deeply and that informs his writing; the fact that he just writes and does not try to be something he isn't, and how natural the writing flows from his mind. It is also quite juxtapositional in terms of society being very fast-paced and seemingly very focused on materialistic things, rather than emotions and feelings, and how these can influence our interaction with the world. Almost suggesting that, as we have developed and progressed as human beings, we have lost our sense of self and purpose.
England (the title of a poem in the book) seems to be an ode to England beyond the stereotypes and preconceptions that other people may have. Things like the old English pub can be things that make us proud to be English. It may seem little, but in a time where the world feels as though it's lost, it's worth remembering these things.
I read through another poem, ‘My Wedding Day’ with particular interest in terms of the context, and the poem being hugely cynical. There is also the mentioning of Jesus in the poem, which is of interest because in the interview he suggests that he does not believe in God, but he is also open to the ideology of there being a God — and yet he is cynical. Jacob acknowledges the significance that God for other people. In both the interview and the book, there is reflection on the importance of God, in terms of having some kind of order. This use of religious ideology is made powerful by the fact the writer does not hold the belief, and yet is willing to understand the power and significance it has for others. Being able to explore a variety of perspectives that do not necessarily align with your own views is rare.
The religious quote at the end of the book is a poignant addition for me, in the sense that — although I do not believe in God — I am a fairly spiritual person and I am also open to the idea of there being a God. I respect other people's beliefs.
The fact that Jacob has implied that he does not believe in a God, but understands we can take meaning from religion, regardless of whether that is in a religious or traditional context.
“Contradiction is the only consistency”. I love this quote from the interview, as it was something that I often consider, yet Jacob was able to highlight this with precision. Yes, I have a lot of opinions, on lots of different things — but my opinions are in no way black and white — they are very much dependent on the context of the situation. Jacob has managed to articulate this in a way that I didn't know I needed. Quite the revelation.
It can be quite confusing when our own opinions are seemingly contradictory to ourselves. We can see both and all sides of everything. We, all of us, have primary beliefs, but then at the same time, as the context changes the opinion might change. But that does not mean to say that it will change entirely — it might just change to a different shade of the same colour. Jacob suggests within the interview that poetry is a good way of expressing these different opinions, these different narratives, these different perspectives, these different ‘shades’ and expressing them as a whole. To express and explore something without scrutiny is refreshing (and, I feel, holds more authority), especially in a world where everything feels so polarised.
Final bit from me…
‘The Dream Must Die’ is available now to pre-order, and you can do so right here. There is also a book launch event taking place on Friday the 22nd of November which includes a performance from Jacob himself. Get your tickets to attend here.
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