I liked that, said Offa, sing it again!

Today at lunch I sat next to one of the most eminent poets alive today. He was brought in by an aged retired bishop who has his own interesting past. I like this about old people; they demonstrate the power of personality versus first impressions. I had met this man before so I felt emboldened to tell him that I had enjoyed his poetry, which I have, but then I completely failed to follow through with an intelligent remark about it. At one time he used a lot of Anglo-Saxon stuff and I ought really to have been able to say something about that. This is what I don't like about old people; I always feel like I'm failing to live up to their standards. He seemed a nice chap though, and told me stuff about Milton.