As a child, I was consumed with a near-obsessive curiosity about what the world felt like for other creatures. John Burnside childconsumecreature Change image and share on social
The only pleasure in redecorating or moving house comes from stumbling across books that I'd almost forgotten I owned. John Burnside bookforgethouse Change image and share on social
The animal encounter poem is now so distinct a genre that it would be possible to create a full-length anthology from deer encounter poems alone, and many varieties of experience would emerge from such an exercise. John Burnside animalanthologycreate share on social
What we should be doing is saving habitats, not single species, no matter what their cuteness factor. John Burnside cutenessfactorhabitat Change image and share on social
I remember playing the Mad Hatter in a school play and feeling very comfortable in the character. John Burnside charactercomfortablefelt Change image and share on social
For 10 years, I gave away my possessions every year and moved on to a new place. John Burnside givemoveplace Change image and share on social
Worldwide, enormous areas of peatland are still being lost to agricultural development, drainage schemes, overgrazing, and exploitation-based infrastructure development projects such as roads, electricity pylons, telephone masts and gas pipelines. John Burnside agriculturalareabase share on social
I remember a nightfall from childhood, far from home and off the known track: I'd been walking with some older boys, but they ran off and left me, and as darkness hurried in, I suddenly realised how far from home I was. John Burnside boychildhooddarkness share on social
My father was this big, tough guy, almost heroic in proportion to me as a child. It was only later that I saw how fearful he was. John Burnside bigchildfather Change image and share on social
I don't want to suggest that matrimony was necessarily a tragic affair - some of our neighbours' marriages seemed quite functional, if somewhat routine; nevertheless, in the workaday world, it is wedlock that is most likely to offer the occasion for life-threatening disappointment. John Burnside affairdisappointmentfunctional share on social