"I'm terrified of switching the computer on because there are so many poems"

Roger McGough’s admission of being “terrified of switching the computer on because there are so many poems” conveys both awe and anxiety at the relentless proliferation of creative possibilities. The computer, emblematic of modern technology, serves as a near-infinite repository of words, drafts, and fragments, functioning as a literal and figurative gateway to vast poetic potential. The simple act of turning it on becomes a confrontation with the overwhelming abundance of ideas stored within, each demanding attention and resolution. For a poet, each poetic draft, scrap of inspiration, and half-formed stanza clamors for completion, revision, or, sometimes, deletion. The dread stems not just from the practical challenge of managing a mountain of unfinished work, but from the existential weight of endless possibility: so many poems, but never enough time, clarity, or energy to refine and shape them all.

McGough’s gentle admission hints at the paradox of creativity in the digital age. Technology’s boon, easy storage, instant access, and the ability to quickly record inspiration, becomes a source of psychological burden. What should be empowering can feel oppressive; the expectation grows with each saved file and every blinking cursor. This sense of dread isn’t a rejection of creativity, but a reflection of its cost. The fear lies not simply in the work itself, but in the act of facing the endless options, the incomplete projects, the pressure to keep up with one’s own restless imagination. It also speaks to the vulnerability of writers, how easily the creative process becomes entangled with feelings of inadequacy or anxiety.

Yet, threaded through this terror is a subtle reverence for poetry’s abundance. The very fact that there are “so many poems” is both overwhelming and marvelous; creativity, for all its demands, is also an undiminished source of wonder. McGough’s words encompass both the privilege and peril of life as a poet, poignantly capturing the double-edged nature of inspiration in the digital era.