Simon Armitage’s debut collection Zoom! solidified his reputation as one of modern poetry’s most compelling voices. While not a traditional love poem anthology, Zoom! explores the intricacies of relationships, human connections, and moments of tenderness.

One of the standout pieces often interpreted through the lens of love is I Say I Say I Say. In this poem, Armitage masterfully balances humor and pathos to navigate the complexities of intimacy. With his signature conversational tone and vivid imagery, he captures both the euphoria and fragility of human connections.

Armitage’s work in Zoom! redefines the love poem, shifting focus from grandiose declarations to nuanced portrayals of everyday emotions. His approach is refreshingly modern, reflecting love’s imperfect, multifaceted nature.

In Zoom!, love is not idealized but celebrated for its raw, authentic beauty. It’s a collection that invites readers to find poetry in the ordinary, where love quietly thrives.

  It begins as a house, an end terrace

in this case

    but it will not stop there. Soon it is

an avenue

    which cambers arrogantly past the Mechanics’ Institute,

turns left

    at the main road without even looking

and quickly it is

    a town with all four major clearing banks,

a daily paper

    and a football team pushing for promotion.

    On it goes, oblivious of the Planning Acts,

the green belts,

    and before we know it it is out of our hands:

city, nation,

    hemisphere, universe, hammering out in all directions

until suddenly,

    mercifully, it is drawn aside through the eye

of a black hole

    and bulleted into a neighbouring galaxy, emerging

smaller and smoother

    than a billiard ball but weighing more than Saturn.

    People stop me in the street, badger me

in the check-out queue

    and ask “What is this, this that is so small

and so very smooth

    but whose mass is greater than the ringed planet?”

It’s just words

    I assure them. But they will not have it.