Anonymity: where are you?

I read two more poems from Poetry Review this morning, a random choice from where the page opened.

Two short poems both in couplets by Sheenagh Pugh, a poet I'd heard of but not read. She has  a considerable body of work and a very active web presence, see http://sheenagh.webs.com/. No reason for me not knowing her work, there are so many poets out there with work worth reading time ... more hours in my day please !!!!

In my pen to paper journal I wrote: do we read the poem or the poet, or both, do we forgive more when there is a history of substance and craft, is our critique less forensic?

None of these questions are specifically aimed at Pugh. I admired her two poems, the subtly of the focus on the environment and the way the form led me to a connection between what could have been disparate topics. And the line 'there is nothing that is not on a journey' is a wonderful arrangement of words. These are poems to return to.

My thinking on the page went as follows: not knowing the poet to enjoying/admiring her poems to would I have read them in the same way if I had known her work better or indeed at all? Then to my 3 questions in italics above, ... and now as I write this to anonymity, its role, its purpose, can it ever be achieved, should we seek it, why do we want it ... the list goes on?

Dear Reader -what do you think? Please continue this conversation ... the blogosphere allows us the space ...