ANYONE who thinks poetry is boring and complicated should think again.

John Hegley's collection of poems from his book Uncut Confetti prove that words are at their most powerful when they are plain and simple.

And there's no harm with a song and dance thrown in for good measure.

Hegley, one of the country's best-selling poets, was at the Arts Centre last night as part of the 13th Swindon Festival of Literature.

Uncut Confetti is a volume of work from the funny to the sad, the personal to the philosophical.

But in each poem words interlock with each other and rhymes are built up.

Much of his work has an autobiographical strand, and in particular he reflects poignantly on his French father who died in 1980.

There is also a running thread of animal-related poems through the book.

As he stood on stage in front of a packed theatre, Hegley, pictured above right, provoked hilarity among his audience.

He jumped for the microphone as he burst into song as he read from his book.

From poems about dogs to glasses, Hegley brings words to life.

A poem about trekking in New Zealand would not have been the same without everyone standing up tramping along with him to the rhyme of the poem.

The beat of feet pounding the theatre floor rang out as Hegley rhythmically shouted out the words form the book.

Hegley was born in North London but his astute mother moved the family to Luton in 1955, realising that house prices were cheaper there.

And life in Luton is the source of much of Hegley's work. During a reading of Luton Bungalow he managed to build a steady beat as the audience were asked to shout out "bungalow" after he did.

But the night was not confined to his observations of everyday life.

One man asked him how he selects themes for his work.

He replied: "I like the ordinary. I like to write about love but not love that is framed.

"I like to write about love that is in an unexpected place."