Geoffrey Chaucer and Carol Ann Duffy would have got on famously, because both are tellers of tales, and both spin yarns from human faults and foibles.

Carol Ann Duffy has written shorter poems than most found in The World's Wife and The Feminine Gospels. But her main gift is not as a lyric poet but as a writer of narrative with many voices.

The Community Hall last Friday was full and large enough to house a big performance. By now it is a consummate performance, with punch lines delivered with perfect timing and the meaningful pauses in all the right places.

Some of the anecdotes I had heard before, when the poet was last in Ledbury three years ago.

This is not to detract from her achievement, which is considerable, and I came away with the conviction that here was work to span the generations.

The biggest laughs, perhaps, still go to The World's Wife, which is racy and perfectly crafted. The voice of Mrs Midas sticks in the mind, with witty confessions like, "I made him sit on the other side of the room/ locked the cat in the cellar".

The poet was obviously battling against a cold, but managed to control her voice as perfectly as her cadences.

Work from The Feminine Gospels also went down well. A poem delivered in extracts, The Laughter of Stafford Girls' High, told how an outbreak of laughter disrupted a school. It must have been infectious. "I like it here," the poet said, and the audience went away smiling too.

Gary Bills-Geddes