Poetry

It goes on one at a time,
it starts when you care to act,
it starts when you do it again after they said no,
it starts when you say we and know who you mean,
and each day you mean one more.

Marge Piercy

Friday, 22 May 2020 17:29

Canzone to an Underground Flow

Written by Jane Burn

in Poetry

Canzone to an Underground Flow by Jane Burn There is a river underfoot. The road bearsabove it, thickly set. Every while, a squareof red-iron drain, skidded worn – pinned below spinsof tready-rubber, spin wheel repetitions.Blinkered to the water’s secret flow, they lietheir metal eyes, choosing the upwards pale sky,its woeful…

Riverine revolution

Thursday, 21 May 2020 16:46

Red Biddy

Written by Fran Lock

in Poetry

Red Biddy by Fran Lock red biddy, noun, a mixture of cheap wine and methylated spirits. biddy, noun, of unknown origin; probably influenced by the use of biddy denoting an Irish maidservant, from Biddy, pet form of the given name Bridget . ‘All you young people now take my advice…

Saturday, 16 May 2020 09:29

Super-spreaders

Written by Mark Kirkbride

in Poetry

Super-Spreaders by Mark Kirkbride Contagion wants to shake your hand. Now you’re ‘it’ and you don’t even know it. When everyone else could see it coming, the Prime Minister dismissed it. With more time to prepare than most around the world, he squandered it all, sleep-walking into disasterwith missed COBRA…

Covid19 Boris Johnson

K2_PUBLISHED_ON Tuesday, 12 May 2020 13:01

Pandemic

in Poetry

Written by Dave Lewis

Pandemic by Dave Lewis I was thinking about the last pandemic,when fifty million war-ravaged soulscoughed up their bloody guts and died.Merely a small gesture on my part,after the royalists’ pointless war.To be honest, after you did it again,I couldn’t be arsed to punish you.Thought a big bomb or twowas enough…

K2_PUBLISHED_ON Monday, 11 May 2020 08:08

The Unopened University: Stay Alert, Boris!

in Poetry

Written by David Erdos

Overacting, or The Unopened University by David Erdos And so the Unopen University fails as its peri-patheticLecturer garbles. Transmitting graphs and equationsThat would set the mathematically untrigged into spin; A series of mixed ratios equal R over the rate of dissentSubdivided, before what is in blue times the yellow,Can, to…

Covid19 Boris Johnson Clear as mud

K2_PUBLISHED_ON Saturday, 09 May 2020 12:28

Almarks: Radical Poetry from Shetland

in Poetry

Written by Jim Mainland

Jim Mainland introduces a new anthology of radical poetry from Culture Matters What is radical poetry? And can it change anything? The poems in ‘Almarks’ are radical in different ways. Some are explicitly political in content, while others are more indirectly observational and personal. Some are radical in style and…

K2_PUBLISHED_ON Thursday, 07 May 2020 12:43

VE Day: Why they give you medals

in Poetry

Written by Fran Lock

Why they give you medals For B.L., who sent his back to the palace, stating 'I didn't fight for you'. by Fran Lock, with Unlovable Labour image above by Steev Burgess So they can keep the bloody colonies.So they can dress the slums in bunting.So they can rewrite you, as…

Thursday, 07 May 2020 11:24

VE Day

Written by Paul Francis

in Poetry

VE Day by Paul Francis, with image by Laura Moore After it’s over, time to pause for breath.It takes some working out, the “what comes next?”The grim familiarity with deathcan not be cancelled with some pious textand we don’t want to end up like before. Yes, it was give and…

Covid19

Wednesday, 06 May 2020 22:08

Graces

Written by P. W. Bridgman

in Poetry

Graces by P. W. Bridgman In the dying light, as the moon drifts fully behind the casement’s edge, Ted and Grace’s little one drifts too: from a fitful wakefulness,at last and finally to a placid sleep. Somnolence settles upon him like a blessing, like a light snowfall, like the blanket’s…

Wednesday, 06 May 2020 08:39

Numbers

Written by Steve Pottinger

in Poetry

numbers by Steve Pottinger this morning(one dressing-gown, two pockets, missing belt) standing on the back doorstep(cuppa, four sugars, first fag of the day) she’s thinking about numbers(two blackbirds, three wood pigeon, one wren) dry mouth, heart pitter-pattering (nineteen to the dozen) the small ones she can handle,(five fence panels, twelve…

Friday, 01 May 2020 09:10

Beak Doctors

Written by Alan Morrison

in Poetry

Beak Doctors by Alan Morrison We're wandering about by dayKeeping each other at baySome of us wearing face masksCarrying out our daily tasksOf getting some shopping inWithout touching anything -Wiping down the supermarket basketsWith disinfectantLike over-scrupulous neuroticsOr priests polishing communion cups (One wonders if those orange topsWill ever be back…

Covid19