The more I read my poems, the more I find out about them. I still read them with the same passion I felt when I wrote them as a young man.

I have never, ever sought validation from the arbiters of British poetic taste.

Writing was a political act and poetry was a cultural weapon.

I don't go to see bands any more because I've got tinnitus, so I have to avoid loud music. You get used to it, but when it's quiet you hear a constant ringing.

Once you have a disease like cancer, you look at life a bit differently. Some things that were important no longer seem as important as they were.

I wrote two poems about the 81 uprisings: Di Great Insohreckshan and Mekin Histri. I wrote those two poems from the perspective of those who had taken part in the Brixton riots. The tone of the poem is celebratory because I wanted to capture the mood of exhilaration felt by black people at the time.

At the end of the day, life's about realising one's human potential. I don't know if I've realised mine, but I've certainly gone a long way towards realising some goals and some dreams.