Bright the Vision That Delighted

By Howard Brayton

Poetry is an integral part of our lives; jingles, nursery rhymes, limericks, folk songs, pop songs, chants, hymns, prayers, anthems, operas... all of this is poetry, including carefully crafted prose which expresses higher thoughts with poetic quality. Poetry is an art form; a compact language of carefully crafted shorthand, and equally carefully chosen words and phrases. It has the capacity to evoke, express and communicate thoughts, imaginings, emotions, feelings, yearnings and longings; stating or implying meanings or giving
heightened emphasis. It is also a way of thinking, of imagery, of noticing the minutiae amongst the everyday, the mundane, the wonderful and the miraculous. It becomes a way of looking at life and beyond. Writing is crafting; choosing the form which best suits the mood, by use of language, cadences, rhythms, rhymes, assonance, alliteration and onomatopoeia. Poetry can be private, personal. Intimate, or explicitly composed for a wider audience, sharing joy or sorrow, delight or disgust.
This collection is an exploration of the personal possibilities of poetry written over a lifetime.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Dec 10, 2021
• ISBN: 9781528991780

Howard Brayton

Now retired, Howard Brayton spent a career in education; a secondary school maths teacher, a course leader in further education, an LEA/national education adviser, university lecturer/researcher, and an education consultant. He was also a communicator and writer. A self-confessed English language pedant, he has published maths textbooks and academic papers, sketches, and poetry. Howard is currently admitted in the hospital and battling COVID-19. Despite any possible undetected flaws, a verbal approval for the publication of this book is given by him.

Book preview

About the Author

Now retired, Howard Brayton spent a career in education; a secondary school maths teacher, a course leader in further education, an LEA/national education adviser, university lecturer/researcher, and an education consultant. He was also a communicator and writer. A self-confessed English language pedant, he has published maths textbooks and academic papers, sketches, and poetry.

Howard is currently admitted in the hospital and battling COVID-19. Despite any possible undetected flaws, a verbal approval for the publication of this book is given by him.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to Susan, our children, and grandchildren.

Special dedication to the staff at the Churchill Hospital, Oxford, who have been nursing me through two years of chemotherapy, and the staff at John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, who are battling COVID-19 with me.

Copyright Information ©

Howard Brayton 2021

The right of Howard Brayton to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a poetry book, which is a product of the author’s imagination. It reflects the author’s recollections of experiences over time. Any resemblance to other works of poetry, quotes, slogans, to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The author has given his verbal approval for the publication of this book despite the possible, undetected flaws, if there are any.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781528991773 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781528991780 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2021

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

1 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5AA

Introduction

In retrospect, poetry has played a large part throughout my life; not just in words, but in music. The nursery rhymes which were said and sung to me and with me, were passed on to our children and now on to our grandchildren. The hymns we learned in Sunday school and church services; the prayers, the psalms, the canticles, the motets and anthems, and of course Anglican Chant which enables prose to be sung as poetry. As the piano and violin were finally abandoned, the voice became my chosen instrument, singing solos and in choirs; folk songs, part songs, oratorios… All are poetry; including carefully crafted prose which expresses higher thoughts with poetic qualities.

For me, poetry is an art form, a compact language of