The planned new poems in a volume called substitute was held back as I had another year’s teaching contract to complete. I am now officially retired from Nottingham College so can concentrate a tad more on the written word. To date I have written a baker’s dozen of new poems since last year’s reading and…
working class poetry
The Impossibility of Producing a Print Literary Magazine.
A link to this article was shared onine by by Martin Malone former editor of Interpreter’s House which pre Martin I helped survive as a paper edition by creating a basic website.The price of progress is that the magazine now now exists only online. https://theinterpretershouse.org/ The article by Wendy Pratt of SPELT magazine https://speltmagazine.com/ available…
THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED
After twenty years chez Nottingham I finally been invited to share my thoughts at a reading. So if you wish to listen to a couple of bolshy poets tearing down the walls of heartache now’s your chance… Neil Fulwood been around a bit has some books and generally a good egg…. He will be promoting…
GRASS CLOUDS : 20 years on the poetry bench.
I will be offering this as a free download from this evening as it Bastille day.GRASS CLOUDS contains everything I have written as ‘poetry’ since I arrived in Nottingham in 2002 so about 20 years worth Contains 80 poems and some illustrations. I will be reading from it on Tuesday August 2nd at the Organ…
PRIVILEGE: Thames Valley Texas
Privilege Is mine and always will be it is my birth-rightI am born to this and never shall let it slipI am the world king and God’s chosen oneTo let go of power is to betray you all I will make the problems disappearAll it takes is character as my masters told meDrilled with a…
Looking Like A Poet: Thames Valley Texas
The agency have been at work again He just didn’t look like a poet so they set to work Told him to lose a few pounds and get a new stylist The shabby chic look to match his fake poverty lyrics Helped sell the gig and books in the provinces Bolstered the teenage girl clickbait…
Knowing my place: Thames Valley Texas
Doff your cap, Toe the line,Do a good job,Know your place,Speak when spoken to,Don’t talk back, keep mum, Be reliableHold your knife properly,Don’t leave the table until told to,Watch your step, March in time, Defer to your betters, Salute the flag,Be punctual, Do a good job, Never argue, Be polite, Bow,Scrape,Be invisible. If you do…
Loops: Thames Valley Texas
Loops Sparkling green walls covered in frosted websA thousand hedges grid-locked our estate at dawnOctober school-runs on foot, lawns damp with dewWe’d strip privet sticks and collect them in loops One web on top of another until a sticky shiveringVibrated in our hands, dew running down stalk to palm.We knew nothing then, spun our own…
Thunder Circling: Thames Valley Texas
THUNDER CIRCLING He needed to talk to someone.It happened to be us.His rolled tobacco slipped from his fingersas he went over events fifty years before.The harbour, Singapore, thunder circlingand lightning flashing across the sea.A merchant navy man,sitting on deck with his mates,watching a free show.‘lf they’s could only ‘arness that energy’. The same bar two…
Hawker Siddley Argosy: My Back Pages
HAWKER SIDDLEY ARGOSY Improbable squares, steel-framed frogshopping from aerodrome to aerodromethrough an emulsion sky, wool clouds.You could hear them from miles awaybefore they’d flash over the barnand into my wide open six-year old eyes. Other times they dissolved throughthe outhouse plastic corrugated roofinto distorted birds that rattledlike boxes as they headed southtravelling so low and…