Gavin Walker, now in his mid-thirties, is a longtime Ruddington resident and recent convert to poetry writing, which he produces under the 'nom de plume' of Patrick Winstanley. Gavin graduated from Newcastle University in 1990 with a degree in medicine, but was diagnosed shortly afterwards as suffering from a manic depressive disorder. Prolonged periods of inpatient treatment followed, which convinced him to abandon his medical career and seek something less demanding. He now divides his time between a part-time job as Deputy Clerk to Ruddington Parish Council and a number of voluntary roles, which include being curator of Ruddington Village Museum, secretary to the Ruddington IT Association and webmaster of this and a number other of village websites.

Do I consider myself a poet? Not really, more a writer of light verse, which I hope may on occasion raise a wry smile, or even a chuckle. Whether you consider them 'funny poems' will depend largely on whether your mind set is attuned to that of the target audience. The majority of these poems were originally composed for the benefit of my nephew and niece, lively minded 10 and 7 year olds respectively. They appeared to enjoy them (or were at least too polite to indicate otherwise) and encouraged me to continue writing.

Writing humorous poems is not like writing jokes - you are not trying to provoke uproarious laughter from your audience, rather a contemplative 'I get it' reaction. If I were to sit down at my desk with the intention of writing a funny poem, I'd end up scratching my head (or some less desirable part of my anatomy) and giving up in frustration. Inspiration comes at odd times and in peculiar ways: in idle moments at work (of which there are plenty); overheard conversations; newspaper articles and even, very occasionally, during council meetings. These initial ideas are jotted down in a moleskine notebook which I take everywhere and are subsequently tugged and teased until they resemble poems, or sit, often for months, awaiting the inspiration needed to complete.

My philosophy for writing poetry, and particularly poems aimed at a younger audience, is 'the shorter the better'. It is a major achievement to get children to read or listen to poetry. It is much more likely to be successful, and therefore repeated, if the poems are the length of a limerick, rather than an epic such as Hiawatha. Those who have attempted forms such as the Haiku or Clerihew will know that writing short poems is not an easy way out. It's quite easy to hide sloppy scansion and inept rhymes in a poem which runs to a few pages, whereas in a short poem one can spend hours reworking a single line until its form, rhyme and meaning all coincide and the poem 'works'. Alternatively, you can take the cheat's way out:

I prefer writing short poems
As they require less stamina
And if the ending gets sticky
Bring on the 'Deus Ex Machina'

Should you enjoy any of these poems sufficiently to want to reproduce them elsewhere, please feel free to contact me. I will, at the very least, be able put you in contact with a good psychiatrist.

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