Katy Mahon on ‘Where Light and Darkness Meet’

Katy Mahon is a Northern Irish musician and poet. Her poems have appeared in various Irish and English journals, most recently The Waxed Lemon, Dreich Magazine, Black Nore Review, and the Irish Independent in February 2022. Katy’s first chapbook ‘Some Indefinable Cord’ was published in June 2022 with hybriddreich.

Tell us about your introduction to poetry.

Writing runs in my family, but it was noted at a young age that I would likely become a pianist. And so, it was an unexpected thing to feel a sudden urge a few weeks after my father died, to write about a trip to Brimham Rocks, North Yorkshire, one day. I was in the bedroom folding clothes and the need was so great that I called for my son to bring my pen and paper quickly. The first poem was born. I still have that scrap of paper today. My father had been a highly successful poet, and with his passing on, it was as if I had been given the space – the permission – to write poetry myself. A few courses and several journal publications later, I had my first poetry pamphlet published by Dreich.

What is a core theme of ‘Where Light and Darkness Meet’, and what called you to write about it?

Where Light and Darkness Meet is an ekphrastic poem about a painting by Edward Hopper called 11am. I had come across this painting a few times before, and it was a few months ago when I saw its image again that I was drawn to, quite literally, the light and the darkness. Everything seems to have an alternative meaning if you give yourself the time to open your mind and allow it in. The concept of the light and the dark, and the balance between the two which fluctuates in our lives, fascinates me and has long been a theme, particularly in my early poems. I find that a constant balance is not achievable, and I believe that one can draw comfort from simply knowing that it will always be moveable.

Tell us about the experience of writing this poem.

Quite apart from the literal light and shadows evident in 11am, and its possible metaphor for our lives, I found that writing about something that was static – a painting – lent me the feeling of timelessness: I wasn’t sitting on a park bench gleaning ideas from the conversations of passersby, or sitting at a café listening to the rhythms of the coffee machine. It seemed like I had all the time in the world to stare at Hopper’s image, to notice every line and curve. There was nothing hurried when I wrote this poem. I would return to writing ekphrastic poems for this reason.

Where do you find inspiration?

I hesitate to call it “inspiration” and would rather call it “noticing”. Not just noticing, but really looking at something hard enough that it either becomes completely itself, or it becomes something else. For example, I recently wrote a poem likening a lemon to a boyfriend I’d had. I was cutting a lemon at the time, and found myself noticing what was both enjoyable and not enjoyable about the process. My frame of mind might have had something to do with what came out eventually on the page!

You have an idea for a poem. What happens next?

I keep a notebook and pen in most rooms of the house, and in my bag. Ideas come at the most awkward of moments sometimes – washing the dishes, in the middle of teaching piano. (Ideas during the latter really are intrusive!) It might be an idea for a whole poem, or just a phrase, but it must always be captured quickly or it passes. Once I have the time to sit down, I continue with pen and paper, which apparently is more conducive to connecting emotions in the brain to the words which emerge. The first draft then gets written up on my laptop, where cut and paste can work wonders when experimenting with form. I might leave it then and return later in the week to see what further edits are needed.

Where do you find community in poetry?

I am very lucky to be part of York Writers’ Group which was formed recently, and the support we give and receive is wonderful. We also get on extremely well, which is a huge bonus! When I first started out, I attended online Wordship workshops with Gill and Mark Connors, which gave me so much self-confidence and lots of ideas for poems. My Twitter feed is packed full of poets and writers, and this has been a great source of community and is a great place to find out about open submissions.

Is there a poem you read over and over again?

I’m drawn to short poems and there is one which I return to often, in which every word is needed, no word excessive. Gerry Hanberry’s poem about grief ‘The dead are selfish’, when I first read it, floored me with its truth. There is no flowery sentiment here, only honesty and self-realisation. Whether you have been through grief or not yet, you will just get it. I don’t think I’ve had quite the same reaction to any other poem.

Do you have a favourite poet?

It is extremely hard to narrow it down. I’m going to cheat and say there are a possible three, two dead, one living: Sylvia Plath, Derek Mahon (perhaps a biased opinion, but he is a true master of the lyrical poem) and Paula Meehan. I’m cheating further… I have to mention David Harsent!

What advice would you give to someone new to poetry?

For someone new to writing poetry, read, read, read. Read novels, read non-fiction, and particularly read poetry. All genres, and lots of it. The way to find your voice is to discover what you love about certain poets. And there is nothing wrong with imitating – it’s how we learn what feels natural and what doesn’t. Also, leave your ego at the door. Writing poetry should be something you do because you cannot imagine not doing it. It is exhilarating being published and it brings great personal joy, but it must not be the sole reason for writing. It’s fun. Have fun with it!

Why do you think poetry is important?

Poetry, like other creative arts, is a medium where you can explore the truth of yourself and the world, whether that is as a writer or reader of it. The words of Salman Rushdie spring to mind: “A poet’s work is to name the unnameable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world, and stop it going to sleep”.

Where can people find you and your work?

I have a website: katymahonwords.com, and I can be found Tweeting occasionally under @MahonKaty, and less often on Instagram under katy.mahon.words.

You can read Katy’s poem here.