Pieces of me: Simon Armitage, poet and author

Simon Armitage Photograph: Christopher Thomond/Guardian

"I think of this as my earliest memory, in my parents’ front room, with my older sister, back in the days when little boys wore blue and girls wore pink. My parents still live in this house" Photograph: Christopher Thomond/Guardian

"My 2002 Ivor Novello award [for lyrics to a song for the 2002 Channel 4 film Feltham Sings] is so heavy that it’s the kind of thing you’d hit burglars over the head with. It’s a symbol of satisfaction" Photograph: Christopher Thomond/Guardian

"This book of poems is by Samuel Laycock, a dialect poet who was from Marsden where I was born. It came to me from my grandfather" Photograph: Christopher Thomond/Guardian

"This meteorite, a little piece of outer space, is an icon of daydreaming and extending the realms of possibility" Photograph: Christopher Thomond/Guardian

"This watch was a gift from my wife Sue. Time is an important concept for us – time together, time spent away. An analogue watch is one of humankind’s greatest achievements. It’s a reminder to keep things in perspective and value time" Photograph: Christopher Thomond/Guardian

"This envelope contains one of my daughter’s eyelashes, from about two years ago. It was on her cheek and I lifted it off with my finger. She said I should have made a wish. I said I’ll keep it in my wallet for a rainy day. Children make you incredibly vulnerable. Someone said to me that when you have a kid, your heart is not your own - whatever happens to them happens to you" Photograph: Christopher Thomond/Guardian

"I find it humiliating to have enjoyed sport at a decent standard for years and never won anything - apart from this cheapo cricket medal. On the top it said Best Batter – as if I’d worked in a chip shop" Photograph: Christopher Thomond/Guardian

"I had to wear a tie every day when I worked in a magistrates court, . It was a form of petulant protest to wear this, my old school tie. It’s got a white Yorkshire rose on it" Photograph: Christopher Thomond/Guardian

"iPods are magic. I’m sure I’ve done my spine in carrying albums around" Photograph: Christopher Thomond/Guardian

"Ted Hughes gave me this bottle of sherry about 12 years ago. He drew the label. The magical brilliance of reading his poems was like someone switching a light on. They still give me a tingle" Photograph: Christopher Thomond/Guardian

"Albums like Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division changed everything for me. They made me want to be part of something that wasn’t mainstream, that had emotional content. I’ve never got over that distinct artistic phase - I’m still stuck there and happy to be. It’s about doing your own thing" Photograph: Christopher Thomond/Guardian

"I love being in close proximity to wild, epic spaces up on the Moors. I worked out how many walking days I might have left in my life. It wasn’t a pleasant thought. Walking loosens the thoughts" Photograph: Christopher Thomond/Guardian

"I wrote a poem about Sue falling in the snow and making an angel shape and this became a memento of that. We got married in 2000. Marriage is like the watch; it’s a great fit" Photograph: Christopher Thomond/Guardian

"It’s been so much fun making our first Scaremongers cd. It’s a celebration of a 20 year friendship. Craig Smith [fellow band member] is a great technical wizard" Photograph: Christopher Thomond/Guardian

"This is my lucky shirt. I’ve had it since I was 19. It’s from Leeds. Do I believe in luck? No, but I believe in shirts" Photograph: Christopher Thomond/Guardian