Song & Dance

Jealous curses and hate poems, love lyrics and erotic dances: John Fuller has always written light verse, and "Song and Dance" is a boisterous and engaging collection, fizzing with intelligence and wit. There are tributes, and there are celebrations. Jokes abound in "The Spellchecker's Guide to Poetry" and the wine is poured for "Florio Drinking Song". Befitting Fuller's musical ear, a host of rhythms beat time. Fans will fall on pleasingly intricate riddles and admire the high-wire gymnastics of unusual verse forms, including the inverted rhopalics of "The Trans-sexual Circus". But behind the fun is some sharp criticism of literary attitudinising, and a climactic injunction, to dance while we can, preferably with each other.