STATE
In the first stanza of the poem "Miracle on St David's Day" Gillian Clarke describes the country house in what seems to be an idyllic setting.

QUOTE
...............The sun treads the path among cedars and enormous oaks. It might be a country house, guests strolling....

COMMENT
Despite the conversational tone suggesting normality her use of the word might alerts the reader.

STATE
The illusion of normality is swept away by the opening line of the second stanza:

QUOTE
I am reading poetry to the insane.

COMMENT
The finality of the end-stopped line and the matter of fact tone shock the reader. The contrast between the descriptive lines of the opening stanza and the flat tone of this line introduce the reader to the contrast between the setting and the guests.

JA/5/00

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