I Am Very Bothered

Simon Armitage

I am very bothered when I think

of the bad things I have done in my life.
Not least that time in the chemistry lab
when I held a pair of scissors by the blades
and played the handles
in the naked lilac flame of the Bunsen burner;
then called your name, and handed them over.

O the unrivalled stench of branded skin

as you slipped your thumb and middle finger in,
then couldn't shake off the two burning rings. Marked,
the doctor said, for eternity.

Don't believe me, please, if I say

that was just my butterfingered way, at thirteen,
of asking you if you would marry me.

In this unconventional love poem, ‘I am very bothered’, the Speaker reveals how, in a bungled

attempt to show his attraction for a classmate, he ill-advertently scars her for life. You can read
the whole poem here.

Form 
14 lines long, ‘I am very bothered’ is a sonnet, although it does not follow the traditional
rhyme scheme and is split into three uneven stanzas, of 7, 4, and 3 lines long. The
Speaker breaks too from the usually elevated style of writing often associated with love
poetry. Armitage employs ‘plain English’ and straightforward language in his poem and
makes must use of internal and half-rhyme. It is these half-lines which give the poem its
distinctive rhythm. Particularly when read aloud, the reader knows instinctively where to
pause and place the emphasis.  
 
Title – ‘I am very bothered‘
The title is somewhat problematic, as the term ‘bothered’ suggests that the Speaker
does not feel sufficiently remorseful after such a misdemeanor.  It brings to mind the
phrase ‘can’t be bothered’, which is a somewhat trite, laconic response. Even with the
use of the qualifier ‘very’, it still seems inadequate.

Analysis, Stanza by Stanza

Stanza One
I am very bothered when I think
of the bad things I have done in my life.
(…)
in the naked lilac flame of the Bunsen burner;
then called your name, and handed them over.
The poem beings almost in a conversational style, taking the title of the poem as its
opening. The Speaker tells us that he is ‘bothered’ when he thinks upon ‘the bad things’
he has done, using the simplistic language of right and wrong. Even the adjective ‘bad’
seems somewhat childish, but since he reveals that this event takes place in the
‘chemistry lab’, we know that he was a schoolboy at the time. He then gives us a
specific example of a ‘bad thing’. He tells us exactly how he engineered the incident, and
through the use of active verbs- ‘held’, ‘played’ ‘called’ and ‘handed’, it is clear that this is
not a spontaneous decision; it is hard to feel much sympathy for him as this is
meticulously planned. 
Sensuous language is employed to help us imagine the scene. We are alerted to danger
as he holds the scissors by their ‘blades’ and
played the handles/in the naked lilac flame.
There is something almost luxuriant in the verb ‘played.’ This also suggests that it is
‘just a game’ but we fear what will happen next. This long sentence, describing his
actions scans over 5 lines.  
He is taking his time, and we can almost see the shimmering flame. The fact that it is
lilac, not even orange, lends it an even more ferocious heat and the adjective ‘naked’
heightens the sense of risk. As well as the alliteration of ‘b sounds’ in ‘Bunsen
burner’ we hear the word ‘burn’ and wonder what the Speaker is plotting to do.  
 
Stanza Two
O the unrivalled stench of branded skin
(…)
the doctor said, for eternity.
The first line is almost shocking in its brutality, all the more so because the poet omits
any mention of the victim’s reaction. This use of omission or understatement makes us,
the reader, imagine what happened, which serves to intensify the horror. The line begins
‘O’, which is a literary device known as an apostrophe, and is used here to add
impact. Next, it is the sense of smell that is channeled, and if we are to believe what the
Speaker says, this is unrivaled. We know exactly how serious this injury is by the use of
the verb ‘branded.’ This is the only line in the poem which sounds like the traditional
language used in conventional love poetry.
In Shakespeare’s sonnets, he often made comparisons, implying that the object of his
affection was superior to something else. However, this poem of Armitage’s has taken a
twisted turn, as he describes the smell of burnt flesh. It takes us into the murky world of
medieval torture and the harsh, cacophonous sound of ‘stench’ further accentuates this.
The reader feels more sickened still when reading the next line, as the unsuspecting
girl unwittingly takes the proffered items. The repetition of ‘burning’ re-emphasizes the
residual heat, and of course, the mention of rings makes us wince. Wedding rings are
exchanged to express love and never-ending devotion, unlike these permanent
reminders of pain. We can feel something of the girl’s agony as the rings refuse to
budge. There is a juxtaposition between how easy it was as she ‘slipped’ her thumb and
finger in, and then her inability to ‘shake off the burning rings.’ A full stop here provides
the caesura pause; to suspend these agonizing moments and etch them in our
minds. Our suspicions that this has been a serious injury is confirmed with the doctor’s
prognosis, that they will be ‘Marked,’ for eternity.’ Again this line is delivered in a flat,
matter-of-fact tone. This story is simply being reported, as it happened, open and
honest. 
 

Stanza Three
Don’t believe me, please, if I say
(…)
of asking you if you would marry me.
We cannot help though but feel that the poet is playing with us in the last stanza. He
uses an imperative, speaking directly to the reader to say ‘Don’t believe me, please’.
We are left wondering whether he wants us to sympathize with him or not. He uses the
adjective ‘butterfingered’ to describe his clumsy attempt at courtship. The adjective
works on several levels: once again, it uses the word ‘finger’ which is already at the
forefront of our minds, but secondly, it is a huge understatement, suggesting that he is
careless or maladroit, when in fact that was an act of great cruelty, regardless of his
intention. The use of parenthetical commas and enjambment gives this stanza a
conversational tone.  
 

Themes
As this poem appears in the Relationships Anthology by the examination board CCEA, it
could be used in a question regarding romantic love, and be about expressing regrets,
complications, or even misunderstandings in relationships.
 

About Simon Armitage

Simon Armitage was born in 1963 in West Yorkshire, where he still lives today. He is a
poet, playwright, and translator. In the 1990s he gave up his job as a probation officer to
devote his life to writing. Armitage has since won numerous awards for his poetry, and
in June 2019 received the accolade of becoming the 21st Poet Laureate. He has just
relinquished his post as Professor of Poetry at Oxford University. In a recent interview
with Lisa Allardice in the Guardian review, he is quoted as saying that he ‘arrived at
literature like a kid in a sweetshop’. His work is both playful and serious, poignant and
pithy, and high-brow and earthy. He has never forgotten his Yorkshire roots.  

Out of the Blue (Extract) by

Simon Armitage
Out of the Blue (Extract) by Simon Armitage was penned to describe someone who was
within the World Trade Center during the catastrophic events of September 11, 2001.
Through repetition and metaphor, the narrator of the poem manages to stress the chaos
and terror of the event while also chronicling a lessened level of hope as time ticks by.
In the end, it seems, that narrator is saying goodbye to his “love,” adding a level of
heartbreak to an already devastating situation.
You have picked me out.
Through a distant shot of a building burning
you have noticed now
that a white cotton shirt is twirling, turning.

In fact I am waving, waving.

Small in the clouds, but waving, waving.
Does anyone see
a soul worth saving?

So when will you come?

Do you think you are watching, watching
a man shaking crumbs
or pegging out washing?

I am trying and trying.

The heat behind me is bullying, driving,
but the white of surrender is not yet flying.
I am not at the point of leaving, diving.

A bird goes by.

The depth is appalling. Appalling
that others like me
should be wind-milling, wheeling, spiralling, falling.

Are your eyes believing,

believing
that here in the gills
I am still breathing.

But tiring, tiring.

Sirens below are wailing, firing.
My arm is numb and my nerves are sagging.
Do you see me, my love. I am failing, flagging.
Simon Armitage
From Out of the Blue (Enitharmon Press, 2008)

Through his simple wording and in just seven stanzas, Simon Armitage has created a haunting,
fictional commentary of 9/11.

Out of the Blue Excerpt Analysis

First and Second Stanza
You have picked me out.
Through a distant shot of a building burning
(…)
Does anyone see
a soul worth saving?
Armitage’s early decision to address the reader specifically makes this poem feel more
personal, and given the concepts at work within the stanzas, this is a strong approach.
Throughout the poem, the reader will see that the person caught within the World Trade
Center is helpless, but desperately wanting someone to rescue him, so to direct this
kind of desperation toward the reader is remarkably effective. In essence, while
“watching” this person endure such a terrifying circumstance, “you” are noted as the
person who can “sav[e]” him, which makes the work personal and striking in a deeply
impacting way. This is particularly true since “you” are noted to have “picked [the
narrator] out.” That implies a personal connection that was begun by the reader, making
the tragedy feel more connected.
The wording in these stanzas, through verb repetition, showcases desperation that
would have been a part of a person’s mentality while trapped inside of the World Trade
Center, almost as if this narrator is so frantic that he does not know what to do. Just as
the “shirt” “twirl[s],” then “turn[s],” like the first action proved unhelpful and must
immediately change, this narrator likely does not know what to do in his current
situation. The one word that is repeated more than others in this section is “waving,”
and that particular verb can have a number of connotations. A person can “wav[e]” to
get another’s attention, or a “white” flag can be “wav[ed]” to show “surrender.” In the
repetition of this word then, the narrator has accomplished showing that he has little
hope, but is attempting desperately to connect with another human for some kind of
support.
There is a bit of a paradox at work when the narrator asks, “Does anyone see a soul
worth saving?” This is because he has already claimed that “you picked [him] out,” so he
has indicated that someone can see him. If such is the case, he only wonders his worth
in the viewer’s eyes, which is reasonable since he feels “[s]mall in the clouds.” He is
caught up in the chaos, and he hopes someone will be willing to risk their wellbeing for
his own, which is why he keeps “waving.” He can only hope his life means enough to
another for such a rescue to occur.

The “white cotton shirt” can be seen as a representation of a flag of “surrender” from a
civilian. The owner of that “shirt” probably has no “white” flag to “wav[e],” so the “shirt”
would have to suffice, revealing how out of place that person is on such a battlefield.
Note, however, that the narrator is not the one “waving” the “shirt,” revealing that he is
not ready to give up.

Third and Fourth Stanza

So when will you come?
Do you think you are watching, watching
(…)
but the white of surrender is not yet flying.
I am not at the point of leaving, diving.
This pair of stanzas backs up the notion that the narrator is not ready to “surrender” his
life as he blatantly states as much. His “white of surrender is not yet flying,” he says,
because he is “not at the point of leaving, diving.” This ending pair of verbs for the line
takes on a terrible meaning when one recalls the desperation of certain victims of the
World Trade Center who chose to “div[e]” out of the devastation to escape. In this, the
term, “diving,” can be taken quite literally in that the narrator is not ready to make that
choice.

However, the flames are trying to make him do just that by “bullying, driving,” which
indicates a higher level of chaos. Not only would the narrator not know exactly what to
do in these moments, “[t]he heat” itself is allotted the same level of confusion, even
though the reader knows that the inanimate “heat” cannot have the intention of
“bullying” or “driving.” Attributing those lively qualities to “[t]he heat,” though, builds the
chaos since, according to the wording, even the thing that is bringing the inhabitants
danger cannot decide what to do at any given moment—revealed in the quick switch
from “bullying” to “driving.”
Regardless of the horrific scene, the narrator holds to what hope he can, and the first
line of the third stanza reveals this. He does not ask “if” someone “will come,” but
“when,” as if he is fully trusting that someone will rescue him from the disaster. That
hope could be the only thing that prevents him from “leaving, diving.”

Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Stanza

A bird goes by.
The depth is appalling. Appalling
(…)
My arm is numb and my nerves are sagging.
Do you see me, my love. I am failing, flagging.
Once more, the reader is reminded of the horrific visual of people “diving” from the
World Trade Center by the narrator noting that it is “[a]ppalling that others like [him]
should be wind-milling, wheeling, spiralling, falling.” The increase in verbs here can be
seen as a boost of that desperation of not knowing what to do. Lack of options would
have “driv[en]” these people to such a choice, and once the choice was undertaken,
nothing they could do could prevent the aftermath.

The irony that “[a] bird” flies near them is not lost as well, and that adds to the
desperation and hopelessness of the poem. Should these people have been a species
that had wings, perhaps their options would have been more promising. In addition, the
sight of the “bird” pairs with the visual of onlookers watching the tragedy from outside
of the World Trade Center. Just as the “bird” cannot help those in the World Trade
Center who watch him, neither can those who watch from the ground help those in the
World Trade Center. It is a triangle of helplessness and disconnect since none of them,
at the moment, are in the same realm of being. Those trapped could not touch the
“bird,” and those watching could not touch those trapped. The parallel is strong, and it
can be seen as a representation of hope that flees just as “[a] bird” can fly away.
The narrator connecting the repeated wording toward the tragedy’s onlookers to ask if
they are “believing, believing” affords their perspective of the disaster its own portion of
chaos, cementing that the entirety of the event is drenched in disorder. Still, even though
he would likely have trouble “breathing” through the smoke, as if he had “gills” instead of
lungs, he lives and presses on in desperate hope against the commotion.
The seventh stanza, however, echoes a loss of hope since he is “tiring, tiring” and his
“arm is numb” from “waving.” He admits then that he is “failing,” and he addresses that
notion to his “love.” This concept gives the addressing of “you” in the first line a new
twist. A random viewer did not “pick” the narrator “out.” It was his “love” that did so,
perhaps before the disaster ever occurred, and this is a concept that makes sense as a
“love[d]” one would worry and seek their beloved. This could as well speak to the
strength that the narrator has experienced thus far, that he has needed to live for his
“love.” The situation is too much, however, and he is almost saying goodbye in this
haunting final stanza.

About Simon Armitage

Simon Armitage, an English poet, studied geography in college, but is known for his
work in the literary field, so much that he was named the Oxford Professor of Poetry.
His awards and honors are numerous as a writer, but he has also been noted for his
translation of Sir Gaiwan and the Green Knight. As an educator, a translator, and a writer,
he is a figure of relevance in the modern world.

Homecoming by Simon Armitage

‘Homecoming’  is a clever title for this poem as it references the narrator returning home
having got their jacket dirty and later coming home from a late-night foray to the phone
box. The poem compares taking part in a trust exercise to the simple act of a coat
falling on the floor, presumably off a peg. Though the poem is ostensibly about the
narrator’s relationship with their mother. The poem is filled with ambiguity and in several
areas what is metaphorical and what is real is very difficult to ascertain.

Form and Tone

‘Homecoming’  is dramatic and poignant with humorous moments and chronicles
developing relationships between parents and their children. It is about trust and how a
child views the trust they have with their parents. It is presented in free verse in four
stanzas of varying lengths (four lines, seven lines, six lines, and six lines) there is
no rhyming pattern and the number of syllables per line seems to vary giving the
poem an uneven feel. Perhaps to symbolize the sometimes random nature of a
relationship between parent and child?
 

Analysis of Homecoming
First Stanza
Think, two things on their own and both at once.
(…)
backwards, blind, and those behind take all the weight.
From the outset of ‘Homecoming’, the narrator explains how it is supposed taken. They
introduce the idea of dualism. This poem likens the situation with the narrator’s parents
to the common trust game where you fall back into somebody’s arms and expects them
to catch you. Alliteration is used in the final line with three “B-words” being used with the
words blind and behind a rhyme. ‘Homecoming’ has no rhyming pattern and I think these
two devices are used to emphasize the importance of putting your trust in people. I
think the narrator is trying to make a point that trust is extremely important.
 

Second Stanza
The second, one canary-yellow cotton jacket
(…)
in the house. You seeing red. Blue murder. Bed.
The start of this stanza details an incident where a coat has fallen on the fall; we
presume the coat of the narrator. The falling from the hook is almost a mirror of the
people falling backward as part of the “trust exercise” from the first stanza
of ‘Homecoming’. The line that begins “back home” follows on and creates an element of
tension. The preceding line describes a mother but makes it clear it is the reader’s
mother. This use of the second person is rather jarring, as is the mother’s description.
The use of the word model is very interesting as it has several meanings and I don’t
think this is a coincidence. The description reads as if the narrator is being
condescending. There’s perhaps just a hint of sarcasm in what they are saying. Being
described as a “model mother” could suggest that the mother is just
an archetypal mother or rather could be used in the context of a model like you might
find in a miniature village, a toy if you will. Is this the narrator’s way of belittling their
mother and if so, why? Perhaps because the narrator feels they are being let down by
her?
We see in the next line the narrator criticizes their mother’s deductive reasoning using
the amusing colloquialism “making a fist of it” The result of the mother’s presumably
incorrect assumptions (We can’t be sure of the narrator’s reliability or impartiality) are
for her to get mad. Once again her actions are belittled by the narrator who uses the
phrase “temper temper” this is quite clever as it is a line that a parent would often use
directed at a child in a sarcastic manner. Perhaps the insinuation is that she is acting
rather childishly. She is compared to a speaker in the house of commons which once
again could be considered derogatory! The word “bed” is a sentence all of its own and
one can imagine an angry parent sending their child to be early with this simple
command. Throughout this stanza Armitage uses colors to describe emotions this
makes these descriptions very vivid and emotive.
 

Third Stanza
Then midnight when you slip the latch and sneak
(…)
a father figure waits there, wants to set things straight.
This stanza is shrouded in ambiguity and open to interpretation. Here is my
interpretation: I think it talks about the child version of the narrator sneaking out. But
then revisits the memory as an adult. Perhaps the father-figure in question is the
narrator themselves? Maybe he has returned to the scene and is reminiscing and
thinking about the sort of fatherly advice that his current, grown-up self could offer the
younger version of himself? To dispense sage advice to their younger self to help them
understand life better? It is interesting that the narrator uses the phrase father figure
rather than the father. Once again, as with the “model mother” the “father figure” could
be a tool for belittling, suggesting that the father in the narrator’s life was somehow
“toy-like” this is a clever mirroring in the description that the narrator uses for the
mother.

 
Fourth Stanza
These ribs are pleats or seams. These arms are sleeves.
These fingertips are buttons, or these hands can fold
(…)
like this, for size again. It still fits.
To hear this poem read aloud please click here
In this final stanza of ‘Homecoming’,  the comparison between the coat and the trust
exercise once again returns to the fore. With the person doing the catching actually
being compared to the coat itself. The narrator describes stepping backward “into it” as
if the narrator is getting a hug from their parent. The use of the word buckle in the fourth
line is interesting as it has a double meaning, as well as representing a physical part of
the jacket I think this is used to mean “give in” as well. I think the metaphorical meaning
of ‘Homecoming’ is revealed here as it suggests that despite the conflict, after a hug
from parents the trust is still there. The narrator at times is critical but it becomes clear
at the end that there is healthy respect in place and that the trust that at one point
seemed to have disappeared is in fact still in place.

The Manhunt by Simon Armitage

‘The Manhunt’ ostensibly describes a wife and her views on her partner’s experiences in
the military. She explores issues with her partner’s physical and mental health. Originally
it was going to be called “Laura’s poem”. The poem is melancholy and uses a lot of
striking metaphors to create an image of a man that has been through a great deal of
torment, both physical and mental, and is quite changed due to the ordeal. The poem’s
title is coincidentally the name of a kids game which almost takes away from the
gravitas of the poem. But I think this is deliberate, the implication being that the
wife/girlfriend is trying to rediscover her man. To hunt or find the man she fell
for. Simon Armitage does a fine job of creating sympathy for the narrator who is
obviously very understanding and caring.

Form and Tone

The subject matter of ‘The Manhunt’, which can be read in full here, is a person (who I
will assume is a woman, though this is not stated) talking about their partner’s injuries,
both physical and mental. Although not stated one would assume that the man the
narrator is talking about is in, or was in, the armed services, possibly the RAF. ‘The
Manhunt’ is unsurprisingly poignant. It is written in thirteen couplets. There is a
vague rhyming pattern to the couplets but this is inconsistent which I think gives the
poem a fragmented feel, perhaps this is to represent how their relationship has
been? ‘The Manhunt’ contains a lot of the striking imagery that is a hallmark of
Armitage’s. The narrator comes across as gentle and supportive.
 

Analysis of The Manhunt

Line 1-2
After the first phase,
after passionate nights and intimate days,
This couplet clearly talks about the early relationship between the narrator and their
partner. It champions the time period using positive adjectives such as passionate and
intimate.

Line 3-4
This, I think, describes her partner “letting her in”. The frozen river referenced here gives
the image of a glacier. Perhaps the suggestion is that the stress and worry of her
partner’s position in the military has caused deep worry lines like a ravine on his face?

Line 5-6
only then would he let me explore
the blown hinge of his lower jaw
This couplet contains a harrowing image of her partner’s lower jaw. Is this a physical
description? Has her partner had their jaw physically blown? Or is this a metaphor for a
partner that has become increasingly tight-lipped and monosyllabic? Not all men are
comfortable talking about their feelings. Perhaps her partner’s jaw hinge doesn’t
operate often, preferring instead to keep his emotions inside?

 
Line 7-8
Describing her partner’s collar bone as porcelain has a two-fold meaning. Firstly, we
tend to associate porcelain with things that are beautiful, maybe even precious.
However, it is a very fragile, easily-broken material. Once again though I would question
whether she is talking about an actual injury to the collar of her partner or if it is a
metaphor for his wider self?

Line 9-10
and mind and attend
the fractured rudder of shoulder-blade,
Throughout ‘The Manhunt’ the narrator uses kind, sympathetic verbs such as mind, tend
etc. Although does the word “mind” have a double meaning? It is unlikely, although it
would not be beyond the poetic abilities of Armitage to be that clever in his choice of
words.
 

Line 11-12
Once again the narrator describes her man using adjectives that have beauty, yet a
delicacy. Only in this instance, perhaps she also hints at her partner’s occupation?
Mentioning parachutes as a metaphor for his lungs could well be a telling hint as to her
partner’s profession, by the end of the poem it is easy to assume that her partner is a
military man but could this be a hint as to his specific role within the military? Could he
be a pilot?

Line 13-14
Only then could I bind the struts
and climb the rungs of his broken ribs,
This couplet is heavy on the double meanings. The comparisons with her man are all
manufactured items, rather than organic living things. Could the allusion be that her
partner has become mechanical? Perhaps he has an almost robotic mannerism? These
items, once again, could be imagined to be part of a plane, so are perhaps another hint
as to her man’s vocation.
 

Line 15-16
It is unclear whether the grazed heart is literal or metaphorical, or maybe even both.
Later in ‘The Manhunt’ the narrator references a bullet in the chest, but throughout this
poem where the metaphor ends and reality begins is often ambiguous.
 

Line 17-18
Skirting along,
only then could I picture the scan,
It is revealing that after tending to him and comforting him that she begins to see the
bigger picture. Once again the metaphorical and literal are so seamlessly close here
that it is impossible to ascertain what is real and what is purely for descriptive
purposes.

Line 19-20
This on appearances would be describing a physical ailment. But once again there is an
air of ambiguity. It is revealed in this couplet that the partner had been shot. The impact
of this is compared, rather symbolically to being like the process of childbirth. I think
this is the narrator’s way of highlighting the life-changing impact of the wound.

Line 21-22
Then I widened the search,
traced the scarring back to its source
When the narrator talks of scarring it is unclear whether she is talking about physical or
mental scars. Using phrases like “widening the search” gives this an almost military
feel. This device has been used several times in ‘The Manhunt’ and is effective at
showing the reader something without actually telling them.
 

Line 23-24
Here we are clearly looking at a metaphor the unexploded mine is clearly a reference to
her partner’s brain. This couplet helps to emphasize the emotional impact on the
narrator’s partner. This ordeal has been a significant and life-altering event.

Line 25-26
every nerve in his body had tightened and closed.
Then, and only then, did I come close.
The “coming close” that is used in this couplet is interesting. What is she coming close
to? It’s not made clear from the poem’s content. I think the implication is that the
narrator has to work hard and softly cajole sentiment from her partner. It’s as if in order
to be close to him, to get him to open up she has to be very sensitive and attentive. It is
hard to not feel sorry for the narrator who never complains about what she has to go
through, instead shows unrelenting empathy and understanding towards her partner.

Hitcher by Simon Armitage

‘Hitcher‘ by Simon Armitage is a short poem that does not follow any consistent rhyme
scheme. Instead, there are a number of slant or half-rhymes, and random end rhymes
throughout the poem. These few interconnected phrases help unite the poem but their
minimal use allows it to read as a casual, conversational speech. 

Summary
‘Hitcher’ by Simon Armitage describes a brutal act of violence against a “free” hitchhiker
committed by a speaker who is “under / the weather.”

The poem begins with the speaker telling his readers that he is not feeling well. His life
appears to not be going great and his boss is on the verge of firing him. The man
decides to get up from his home and hitchhike to a rental car agency. 
From there he drives out into the street and picks up another hitchhiker or “hitcher.” This
man rides with him for a short time, telling the speaker that he is only guided by the sun
and carries nothing more than a toothbrush. The speaker who is overwhelmed by the
banality of his own life is overcome with envy and attacks the hitchhiker.
He hits the man over the head once and in the face six times before opening the car
door and throwing him out. He observes the hitchhiker bouncing along the street and
then disappearing into the hedges on the side of the road. The speaker is completely
unfazed by what he has done. He does not feel worse or better about his life. 
By the end of the piece he still has not gotten out of his rage and verbally tells the
speaker that he deserved what happened to him and that he can “walk from there.” 
You can read the full poem here.
 

Analysis of Hitcher 
Stanza One
I’d been tired, under
(…)
A Vauxhall Astra. It was hired.
Armitage begins this piece by having his speaker present an internal image of himself.
He tells the reader that he has, “been tired,” and feeling “under / the weather.” While this
is an emotion that all will be able to relate to, it contains no detail. The speaker provides
no detail about himself through the use of this cliche. 
Even though he is feeling “under / the weather,” the world is not trying to make his life
any easier. His, “ansaphone,” the brand name of a common answering machine or
answer phone, continues to “scream” at him. It is reasonable to assume that the
speaker is irritated by the messages being left and by the fact that there are messages
at all. The sounds bring him closer to the edge. 
The next line describes one of the messages that is plaguing him from his machine. His
boss is calling to tell him that if he sends in, 
One more sick-note, mister, and you’re finished. Fired. 
There is no hesitation in his boss’ voice, he means this threat to be the final one. The
speaker leaves his house and without a car of his own, hitchhikes to a rental agency.
There he hires a “Vaxhall Astra.” From these lines, we can assume that the speaker is
not all that concerned with his boss’ threats and is financially confident enough to be
able to rent a car at will. 
 
Stanza Two
I picked him up in Leeds.
(…)
or round the next bend.
While driving around in the car the speaker stops to pick up a hitchhiker. This new
character’s life is going to be deeply contrasted with that of the speaker. 
He describes that this hitchhiker, or “Hitcher,” was walking with the intention of, 
…following the sun from west to east 
He does not have a greater purpose than that of getting from one place to another,
freely wandering, solitary, and without the plagues of modern life. 
It is clear that the speaker envies this man. He says jealously that the man is only
carrying a “toothbrush” and appears to happily use the “good earth for a bed.” The man
seems to have no pretensions or deeper desires. 
His life philosophy is simple. That there will be some kind of permanent truth “round the
next bend” and he only has to stumble upon it. 
 

Stanza Three
I let him have it
(…)
I dropped it into third
At this point in the poem, the narrative takes a dark and surprising turn. The speaker,
clearly overwhelmed by the life of this man, attacks him, 
On the top road out of Harrogate.
He hit him “once with the head,” of a krooklok, a specific brand of the steering wheel
lock. This is the third instance in which the speaker mentions a particular branded
product, emphasizing his connection to the modern world of consumerism. 
The speaker continues describing the attack without inflection of any trance of remorse.
He continues to hit the man, striking him “six times…in the face.” While doing this he
was able to keep the car completely under control. He, 
…did even swerve.
 
Stanza Four
and leant across
(…)
He’d said he liked the breeze
The speaker is not done with the hitchhiker yet. He drops the car into “third,” and leans
across to the passenger seat and opens the door. He “let” the man out of the car, or
more aptly, pushed him out of the car, and then observed him from the rearview mirror
as he bounced along the street. The hitcher hits the “kerb,” or curb, and tumbles into “the
verge,” or the bushes that line the sides of the street. 
The speaker’s passive, calm voice is haunting. This action is one that he seems proud
of and he is completely undisturbed by what he has just done, making the telling of the
story all the more frightening. 
He pauses for a moment to take note of the fact that the two of them were of a similar
age, “give or take a week.” The speaker was seeing himself in the hitchhiker and felt
overwhelming envy for the free life that he was living. He could not stop himself from
taking his rage out on the unsuspecting man.

Stanza Five
to run its fingers
(…)
you can walk from there.
The poem concludes with the speaker describing how the “hitcher” had told him how
much he enjoyed the feeling of “wind” running through his hair like fingers. 
The final lines of the poem further emphasize the heartlessness with which the speaker
acted. He takes the time to comment that it is currently “twelve noon,” and that the, 
…outlook for the day was moderate to fair. 
This is how he sees the rest of his day going, it has not really been made worse or better
for the act that he committed. 
In the final lines, he speaks to the “hitcher.” He tills him to “Stitch that,” a vague way of
saying, “take that.” He feels as if what he has done is justified and that the man can
“walk from there.” He will have to make it along the road by himself. It is not clear
whether or not the hitchhiker survived his attack, but the speaker could not care less. 
 
Harmonium by Simon Armitage
It could be seen that ‘Harmonium’ by Simon Armitage, whilst on the face of it is about a
musical instrument, is actually a metaphor for the narrator’s father. The name of the
instrument used is interesting in itself as it makes you think of something that is
harmonious.  This might be why the narrator chooses to personify the instrument,
because it represents, in the narrator’s eyes, an actual person. The informal language
and uplifting descriptions in ‘Harmonium’ prevent it from becoming a dirge and keep
the tone light-hearted and “chirpy” but ultimately if the poem is about the son’s
relationship with his father it is also about the fact that the father will one day face his
mortality; as do we all.

Form and Tone

‘Harmonium’  is presented in four unequal stanzas which are 4 lines, 8 lines, 5 lines, and
10 lines long respectively. Although there is no formal rhyming pattern, rhyme is used
frequently throughout the poem and this helps give ‘Harmonium’ a light, happy feeling.
Although there are wistful, perhaps regretful undertones to this poem it is generally
quite an uplifting piece. The rhymes and the colloquialisms help to accomplish this.
 

Analysis of Harmonium
First Stanza
The Farrand Chapelette was gathering dust
in the shadowy porch of Marsden Church.
And was due to be bundled off to the skip.
Or was mine, for a song, if I wanted it.
It is interesting how Armitage uses the brand of the harmonium in the poem. This might
make the poem appear “dated” in the future, but perhaps that is the intention? Maybe
this poem is supposed to be representative of a particular age. If giving the brand name
dates the poem then giving the name of the chapel it is stored at locates it. Marsden
Church is a church in Armitage’s home county of Yorkshire lending further credence to
the suggestion that this poem could be autobiographical. Note the half-rhyme of “skip”
and “it”. This gives the poem a nice flow and the use of the colloquial phrase “going for
a song” helps give the start of ‘Harmonium’ a slightly “cheeky” feel. Not only is the
phrase going for a song (meaning going cheaply) a regionalized phrase, but it also a
music-based pun. Very clever Mr. Armitage!
 

Second Stanza
Sunlight, through stained glass, which day to day
could beatify saints and raise the dead,
(…)
where the organist’s feet, in grey, woollen socks
and leather-soled shoes, had pedalled and pedalled.
A partial rhyme is used at the end of the first and third stanza. I think this is to solidify
the description of the aged case into its own section. There is an interesting paradox
here as he describes the beauty of the sunlight but then the negative effect that it has
had on the case of the instrument. The narrator then continues to describe the
instrument that on the face of it has seen better days! Personification is used
throughout this stanza to help bring the instrument to life. Its keys are described as
fingers and the broken note is referred to as the instrument losing its tongue. These
descriptions give the instrument importance but also suggest that the instrument itself
could be a metaphor for a person.

Third Stanza
But its hummed harmonics still struck a chord:
(…)
and gilded finches – like high notes – had streamed out.
In the previous stanza the narrator had managed to create an image of an instrument
that was very worn down; although never in a fashion as to make a reader mournful of
the condition of the instrument. In this stanza we see the instrument being lauded.
The alliteration in the first line adds to the flow of this stanza and helps to make the
instrument sound magnificent. The phrase “struck a chord” being used is very clever,
once again it is a piece of informal language, but could be used in a figurative or very
literal manner here. The first mentions of a father and son relationship appear in this
stanza and ‘Harmonium’ veers more into this area in the proceeding stanza.
 

Fourth Stanza
Through his own blue cloud of tobacco smog,
with smoker’s fingers and dottled thumbs,
(…)
some shallow or sorry phrase or word
too starved of breath to make itself heard.
This describes the narrator carrying the case with his dad assisting him. The very first
line describes his dad in a cloud of tobacco smoke. This may well be pertinent as this
stanza, and indeed ‘Harmonium’ develops and the idea of the father’s life eventually
ending becomes more and more prominent. It’s quite clear that his father is a joker as
he claims; one would assume flippantly, that the next time his son is carrying a heavy
case that the father will probably be in it; making the comparison to the case is like a
coffin. There is a nice parallel here as the narrator describes what their dad says using
the phrase “and he being him” and then describes his own words with “and I, being me” I
think this parallel is to emphasize the “circle of life” (cue the lion king music!) I think the
suggestion is that as the son grows into a father himself, one day his own time will be
running out. It is kind of poignant but ‘Harmonium’  never gets bogged down in being
wistful and I think that is a mirror of the narrator’s father’s passion for life.
The language used is very deliberate in this stanza. The narrator uses the word shallow
to describe his own words. I for one associate the word shallow with a grave and I don’t
think this is a coincidence. He then uses the phrase “starved of breath”,
another allusion to death, although he could just be out of breath from carrying a heavy
instrument! Death was explicitly mentioned in the second stanza. Perhaps the organ
itself is a metaphor for the narrator’s dad. A person who is clearly old and worn out but
still has a sense of life in him as made clear by his sense of humor, he addresses his
own eventual demise, not in a gloomy, but a humorous way. Much like the instrument,
the old man can still strike a chord!
 

About Simon Armitage

Simon Armitage is a British poet who was born and raised in the county of Yorkshire.
His local heritage and dialogue are often imbued into his poetry giving it a comical or
personal feel. As well as poetry Armitage is a man of music and is often lauded as
having a good ear for rhythm in his poetry. This is perhaps unsurprising as he also a
songwriter for his own band. This raises the question as to whether ‘Harmonium’ is
autobiographical.

I’ve made out a will; I’m leaving

myself By Simon Armitage
Simon Armitage is great at using humor in his poetry and it shines through in ‘I’ve made
out a will; I’m leaving myself’. Although the poem could be considered quite morbid
the metaphors used are not at all bleak and lend themselves to the sense of fun that
resonates throughout this piece. The underlying meaning of this poem is unclear and is
open to interpretation (I’ve attempted this myself!) I think it is about the importance of
love above everything else, but I could be wide of the mark.  I have read several poems
by Armitage lately and this little one is probably my favorite. I always like a poem that
leaves a lot of unanswered questions, and whilst, on the face of it, this is a silly
nonsense poem, it is not too big a leap to suggest there is a deeper meaning. I think the
fact that the narrator doesn’t just stick to one theme for his comparisons throughout the
poem is pertinent to the meaning of the poem itself. I think that the narrator cannot
really see the point in his body and therefore doesn’t even know what to compare it to.
It’s as if he is thinking about the different parts of his body and saying ” I don’t need you,
I don’t need you” but when it comes to the heart the narrator clearly doesn’t want to part
with it. It is never made explicit why that is, although the suggestion is that it is
important as the narrator, as such he likens the heart to a pendulum a key component of
a clock.

Form and Tone

‘I’ve made out a will; I’m leaving myself’ takes the form of a jaunty sonnet, albeit with a
slightly skewed and inconsistent rhyming pattern. This is an unusual choice as a sonnet
is a form most often associated with love poems. The poem is highly comical and full of
amusing comparisons and colorful metaphors. It employs several tricolons, a poetic
device whereby three adjectives are used in quick succession. Perhaps this repeating
pattern of description is supposed to symbolize a heartbeat? One thing is for sure the
poem “zips along” at a breakneck pace.  The subject matter is a person giving up their
organs to the national health service, although as I have asserted I think there are
deeper levels to this poem. Whilst I have assigned this poem a title it doesn’t actually
have one. It is taken from a collection called Book of Matches. In this collection all the
poems are supposed to be able to be read in the time it takes for a match to burn to its
end.
 

Analysis of I’ve made out a will; I’m leaving

myself
First Stanza
I’ve made out a will; I’m leaving myself
to the National Health. I’m sure they can use
(…)
the chassis or cage or cathedral of bone;
but not the heart, they can leave that alone.
The very first line of ‘I’ve made out a will; I’m leaving myself’, which you can read in
full here, is very striking and impactful. The use of a Will to document his exclamation is
very formal. Most people would just have settled for carrying a donor card and this
emphasizes how important this decision is to the narrator. The narrator is very flippant
in their description of their body and what parts could be used; this is a theme that
continues throughout the poem. In this first stanza, most of the comparisons they use
are food-related likening their body parts to jellies and soup my personal favorite is the
“loaf of brains” comparison, drawing inspiration perhaps from the Cockney
rhyming slang “use your loaf” this is an example of Armitage using the colloquialisms
for which he is renowned and although this saying isn’t associated with the north of
England it is so commonly used in English slang as to rarely be associated with its
cockney origins. But there is a mix of comparisons. When the narrator comes to
describe their ribcage there is a lack of certainty over which descriptor fits best. As if
the narrator is trying to decide which is the correct way to describe that body part. they
begin by likening it to a car, then change to a cage, and finally a cathedral of bone. Is
there any significance to these descriptors? One would tend to associate a cage with
captivity. Is this the narrator’s way of saying that their heart is captive? The stanza
closes with the narrator stating that they cannot have their heart. This is not put in the
same fun and playful way as the rest of the stanza which makes it stand out. Quite why
that’s the only part that he seems intent on keeping is mysterious although I have some
theories as to the reason for this.
 
Second Stanza
They can have the lot, the whole stock:
the loops and coils and sprockets and springs and rods,
(…)
but not the pendulum, the ticker;
leave that where it stops or hangs.
In this stanza of ‘I’ve made out a will; I’m leaving myself’, once again we can see how
amusingly disenfranchised the narrator is with their own internal organs. The chuckle-
worthy comparisons continue: first with industrial metaphors in the second and third
lines and comparisons to the internal working of a clock in the final line of the stanza.
The clock is a good choice for comparison as lots of the pieces of a clock are named
after body parts to begin with. The constant listing of different body parts in this way is
both frantic and amusing.
 

Third Stanza
They can have the lot, the whole stock:
the loops and coils and sprockets and springs and rods,
(…)
but not the pendulum, the ticker;
leave that where it stops or hangs.
Sticking with the clock theme, the narrator refers to their heart as the pendulum,
ostensibly the most important part of the clock, and then as a “ticker” which is a slang
word for a heart that could also be associated with a clock. The mystery of ‘I’ve made
out a will; I’m leaving myself’ is how the narrator can be so dismissive over the rest of
their body but then want to keep their heart intact without ever explaining why this is the
case. Personally, I think this is because the heart is representative of love. While the
narrator clearly doesn’t value their own body (or at least if their descriptions of their
body parts are a true reflection of how they feel they don’t) perhaps love is still
something that holds value to the narrator. Although interestingly they still objectify the
heart, just like all the other body parts. I think this is why a sonnet was used for ‘I’ve
made out a will; I’m leaving myself’, because a sonnet is usually associated
with romance and love. Perhaps in this case the love is of love itself.
 
About Simon Armitage
Simon Armitage is a talented English Poet with a large body of work. Amongst his
distinctions are his position as the Oxford Professor of Poetry and a prestigious
lecturing position at one of the world’s best universities. He tends to use regionalized
words and slang in his poems lending a northern twang to many of them. His poems
often explore contemporary issues and challenge the reader to explore issues, often
from an alternative point of view. Amongst his other works are translations, play scripts,
and even songs for his band.

A Vision by Simon Armitage

‘A Vision’ is a wonderful poem by Simon Armitage, that featured in Tyrannosaurus Rex
versus the Corduroy Kid. It creates a warm, inviting tone and describes the ideals of a
model of a city. But at each turn, the ideas that this espouses are refuted and subverted.
Sometimes very subtly never revealing genuine problems with these ideals until the final
sentence where this vision of an ideal future is finally dismissed totally. What makes ‘A
Vision’ so captivating is its ability to come across as so positive and warm when in
actuality it is as if the poet is so “snarky” as to make his opinions of the ideas put
forward by the model builder as laughable. If you examine the poem carefully there are
hints as to the nature of the poem right from the start when he describes the future as
being good and then uses “once” that word sets off the poem in the fashion that it
continues in raising the positives of this imagined future but then undermining them
imperceptibly.

Form and Tone

‘A Vision’ is written in free verse. It is four stanzas long and each stanza consists of five
lines. There is no rhyming pattern in place although there is the occasional use
of assonance and alliteration (the repetition of certain sounds). ‘A Vision’ uses
striking imagery to create a vision of a sort of utopian future. (based on an architect’s
model.) However, this is constantly and subtly subverted by the use of certain key
contradictions as you will see from my analysis.
 
Analysis of A Vision
First Stanza
The first line of the poem, which can be read in full here, is very striking as Armitage
refers to the future but in the past tense. This line taken in isolation is very jarring but is
explained as the poem unfolds. He then continues to explain that the vision of the
future he is referring to is one that is inspired by a model of a village that would have
been on display in a civic hall. What I find interesting here is that Armitage’s narrator
describes the future (and by that, we assume that the building itself is almost
a metaphor for the future in general) as a beautiful place but the description of the
building’s blueprints contain smoked glass and tubular steel. Both of these descriptions
give an impression, not of beauty, but of an industrial feel. This runs in contrast to the
description of the model itself. Armitage uses alliteration in “the full-blown balsa wood”
description. Balsa wood models could certainly appear beautiful and the alliteration
helps lend that idea to the model. What is also prominent is the fragile nature of balsa
wood in comparison to the rigidity of steel.
 

Second Stanza
I love the phrase “board game suburbs” it gives the reader such a wonderful feeling of
community spirit. Although I think this phrase is subversive, suggesting that the ideals
represented by this model are unrealistic, childlike in some ways. There is further
credence given to this theory as he uses the imagery of fairground rides and then
executive toys. Executive toys being an oxymoron gives this poem yet another
contradiction, further subverting its meaning. The idea of a cantilever of light whilst
sounding immensely positive is once again a bit contradictory. A cantilever is a feature
in architecture designed to ensure stability and a solid structure. Having one created of
light would mean a city that was balanced on effectively nothing. The narrator then
turns his attention to the people of this utopian future. They are wholesome doing the
sort of activities that a good, cultured person might do. Walking their dog, recycling, etc.
 

Third Stanza
Throughout ‘A Vision’ Armitage creates an image of a lovely future but constantly
underpins this by phrases and clever poetic tricks that make it seem like the narrator is
being sarcastic or perhaps to give a sense of foreboding as if to say – things aren’t
going to work out like that. Fuzzy-felt grass not only uses alliteration to highlight the
description, but the word itself “fuzzy”, could be used to put across the narrator’s
opinion. The fuzziness represents uncertainty over the future. Once again in this stanza,
the narrator talks about an idealized civilization that drives electric cars. The final
sentence of this stanza states that the aforementioned vision was the “plan(s)” he then
says they were all written in the neat left hand. There is some ambiguity as to what this
means. Left-handedness has a negative connotation that unfairly exists in modern
culture. There is a phrase “a left-handed compliment” which means something is
actually an insult. Left-handedness is also wrongly associated with the devil and
misdoings. Could this reference to left-handedness be relevant? It’s hard to imagine that
it isn’t significant in some way.
 

Fourth Stanza
I think this line is deliberately enjambment, running on from the previous stanza to add
tension as the poem starts to draw towards its close. The use of the word “true” is
interesting here. I don’t think that the narrator believes that the architects were “true”,
but perhaps suggests that their ideas were? The end of this stanza is almost like a
revelation and gives the poem its meaning as it is revealed that these plans were
discovered by the narrator at a landfill site. There is a certain sadness that firstly these
plans were clearly never carried out. If they had they wouldn’t appear on a landfill site on
the day that they were due to be used. But also because of all the other “unfilled futures”
the landfill site almost acts as a metaphor for what did happen in the future. There are
no wealth of electric cars and masses of people recycling and working together to save
the planet. Just a giant landfill site filled with the dreams of yesterday. The narrator even
goes so far as to say those dreams are extinct. Is this the narrator’s way of suggesting
that the people of the actual future gave up on making the dreams of the past a reality?
 

About Simon Armitage

Simon Armitage is an English poet who was born and raised in Yorkshire. He has had a storied
career in which he has written several poetry collections as well as writing novels, translations,
and even songs for his band. His poetry often covers contemporary issues and attempts to
make the reader see the world through a slightly different perspective. Amongst his many
accolades, he is the Oxford Professor of Poetry as well as having won the Forward Prize, the
Keats-Shelley Poetry Prize, and being awarded a CBE for his work.