Sucked in...

Local tree, just before Xmas.

Having words

Here we go again,

Let us please lock keys,

Let us curtly tell each other

To get back down on our knees.

Let us bark out orders,

That seems totally fine:

Wear this, eat this, write this, suck this,

There is one way, and it’s mine.

You are wrong, wrong, wrong,

I am right, right, right.

Take your dirty little secrets,

Hide them tightly out of sight.

Don’t make us all look bad

With your artless whine,

Only some of us are winners,

Did you miss my special sign?

Don’t be spitting here,

Or playing children’s games,

There’s one pretty road to heaven

And one tidy list of names.

Messy people, silly scribbles,

Turn the stomach green.

This is how we do it –

Keep the front step clean.

RF 2018

or if you'd rather listen than read off the page try this:

I'm not a big one for literary criticism (shocker, I know), partly because when I read some of it it makes me feel like I need to have a long hot bath to get clean again. I particularly dislike writers being lumped together into groups to make a weak point (as happened in a recent article that you may or may not be aware of and, if not, be glad!). 

Instead listen to this week's edition of 'Poetry Please' , co-hosted by Hollie McNish. It features a particularly powerful poem called 'An Abortion' by the illustrious Liz Lochhead (who was mentioned in last week's post on the Marra book) and 'April Sunshine' by Scotland's fabulous current Makar, Jackie Kay.