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

Monday, 16 March 2020 15:16

Resurging

Written by David Betteridge

in Poetry

David Betteridge presents a major new long poem, a meditation on last December's setback to the socialist Left. Illustrations are by his longtime friend and collaborator, Bob Starrett, official artist at the Upper Clyde Shipyard Work-In in 1972. RESURGING In memory of Albert Marsden, Scunthorpe steelworker, trade union official, community…

Sunday, 08 March 2020 09:44

Capital and Christ's message: For Ernesto Cardenal

Written by Chris Norris

in Poetry

Chris Norris presents a poem in honour of Ernesto Cardenal (1925 – 2020) Ernesto Cardenal, who died on March 1st this year, was a Nicaraguan poet, Marxist, Catholic priest and lifelong left activist who fought a protracted campaign against the more conservative wing of Catholic religious and social doctrine. When…

Ernesto Cardenal

Thursday, 05 March 2020 10:57

Politics and Poetry

Written by Chris Norris

in Poetry

Politics and Poetry: two views by Chris Norris They ask me: why the antique style?Why have them rhyme and scan?Why fiddle while Rome burns, or whileOur lives go down the pan? It’s rough-house stuff, the stuff we need,Red-hot with scorn and rage,Not stuff for owlish types to readOff some age-yellowed…

K2_PUBLISHED_ON Wednesday, 04 March 2020 13:02

Poet, priest, politician and revolutionary: RIP Ernesto Cardenal

in Poetry

Written by Tim Hollins

Tim Hollins pays homage to Ernesto Cardenal (1925 - 2020), Nicaraguan poet, priest, politician, and revolutionary Perhaps only in Nicaragua would those 4 terms sit easily to describe one extraordinary figure from the Sandinista Revolution – Ernesto Cardenal, who has died aged 95. Best known as Minister for Culture (1979…

K2_PUBLISHED_ON Monday, 02 March 2020 15:18

The Shipping Forecast

in Poetry

Written by Kevin Higgins

The Shipping Forecast by Kevin Higgins Back when the three giant liners,Britannia, Eurasia, and Sweet Land of Libertyweren’t all simultaneously taking on tonnes of water,you didn’t have to thinkabout what makes them float. After loading your gut at the buffetwith more prawns and chocolate cheesecakethan it could be trusted to…

super Tuesday

K2_PUBLISHED_ON Monday, 02 March 2020 12:58

Brexit Music

in Poetry

Written by P. W. Bridgman

Brexit Music (After Louis MacNeice) by P. W. Bridgman It’s no go the cavernous yawns, its no go sermons in Chinglish.All we want is a Sunday jaunt to a bar where the barmaids aren’t Polish.Young Vicar Ng’s lost half the flock; his wife’s gone over to Rome.After 17 hours of…

K2_PUBLISHED_ON Monday, 24 February 2020 13:20

Questioning Capitalism: The Climate Matters Anthology 2020

in Poetry

Written by Sally Flint

Sally Flint calls for submissions to this new anthology of poems, stories, science writing and images, a collaboration between Culture Matters and Riptide Journal (University of Exeter) ‘We are only the trustees for those who come after us.’ - William Morris In 2020 we want to publish a collection of…

Monday, 24 February 2020 12:57

International Women's Day 2020: A grieving woman resolves to liberate Ireland

Written by Jenny Farrell

in Poetry

Jenny Farrell celebrates International Women's Day with a presentation of an Irish lament by a grieving woman who resolves to liberate Ireland The most famous, fabled and feted Irish filí (poets) are male: the reasons clearly lie in patriarchal class society. So all the more reason for us to seek…

Saturday, 22 February 2020 19:43

Witches, Warriors and Workers: International Women's Day 2020

Written by Fran Lock

in Poetry

Fran Lock introduces Witches, Warriors, Workers: An anthology of contemporary working women’s poetry, in the run-up to IWD on March 8th. The image above is by Fran's co-editor, Jane Burn; the images below are from creative commons and Steev Burgess. The book is being launched in Newcastle and London, see…

Sunday, 16 February 2020 08:25

The Winning Cock

Written by S O Fasrus

in Poetry

The Winning Cock by S. O. Fasrus The winning cock continued crowingEmboldened by his win, and knowingNo fowl could make a bigger dinwhen pecking orders favoured him.

Friday, 14 February 2020 12:14

Onward / Ymlaen! An anthology of radical poetry from contemporary Wales

Written by Mike Jenkins

in Poetry

Mike Jenkins introduces a new anthology of Welsh radical poetry These are left-wing poems from Cymru rather than ‘Wales’. Why do I stress this? As the Welsh language poet Menna Elfyn rightly points out in notes to her poem ‘Neb-ach’, the very words ‘Wales’ and ‘Welsh’ are both associated with…