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Poets

About Kathryn

Born and brought up in the north east of England, Kathryn Daszkiewicz read English at Leeds University and now lives in Lincolnshire.

As the covers of her books might suggest, Kathryn is inspired by art and by the natural world, particularly birds, which have a habit of fitting into her work, both as metaphors and in their own right. Strangely enough, she has always had a link with the county as her mother chose her name after reading Anya Seton's novel Katherine, whose eponymous heroine meets and marries Sir Hugh Swynford of Lincolnshire. 

 

Accessing Kathryn's Work

The Lincolnshire Poetry collection is currently available to view on an appointment only basis. Please contact the Special Collections Librarian for more information and to discuss your research requirements.

Search the Special Collection catalogue by an individual poet’s name or using the word poetry.

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Half profile of Kathryn Daszkiewicz with garden in the background

 

You can find more information on Kathryn and her work on her website:-


 

Kathryn's Work

The Book of Follies


THE BOOK OF FOLLIES


tells me that whims made brick,
or castles in the air of actual stone
are not ridiculous to the minds that dream them.


That lone arch on the hill -
which doesn’t lead to a grand avenue
with tall oaks sweeping you along
a graceful drive towards a place to rest –
is only a hollow promise
where you step from
scrub to scrub.


A gateway to perhaps,
guarded by standing stones,
the land on all sides
spiked with blazing gorse,
seems too remote
to reach.


But those faux ruins
In the grounds of stately halls
whose upkeep is a nightmare to the trusts
that take them on... Cracks
in the crumbling curtain walls
that were there from the start.
Deliberate ivy. No roof
to stop the rain.


Or stop the stars.
The romance of a Gothic staircase
spiralling up to nothing
but a fall. You know
this place and climb
to watch the clouds part on a cuckoo land.



From A Book of Follies, Shoestring Press, 2017