Poems on the Underground

"I think it was in 1986 that they had the idea of publishing poems on the London Underground. And what’s really good is that the book itself has been reprinted year after year. What’s great is the choice of poems: a mix of the classics, William Blake and Dante, with many modern poems. Even Chinese poems. It also brings in the art of the typographer: so many of them are sold as posters. That combination of visual art and poetry works wonderfully well. They’re all little gems and perfect for everybody. They are international and work right across the timescale. Exactly. The poems just catch their eye unexpectedly. Most of the time you’re urged to buy things: the poems simply ask you to reflect. That’s marvellous. My biggest thrill was having one of my poems up there. It went: ‘I want to be the leader. I want to be the leader’, and it’s been used by many politicians. It’s been hung in Downing Street. I remember sitting underneath it and hoping people would notice. No one did, of course. They just read their newspapers. Exactly."