Where no truth can be found, the philosopher must proclaim it; and where there is no beauty, the artist must create it.

A title must emerge from the content of a work, and therefore all my titles are working titles until the piece is complete—however, even then, it may change to better represent it. Whilst a title performs a number of functions, I consider its power to define and provide context the most significant—and therefore adopt this approach.

The shorter the poem, the more significant its every word. Several months after “completing” “Sunbird!”, one of the earliest poems for the collection I am working on, I believe I have at last decided on the final version of its four-word opening line!