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

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…

Friday, 14 February 2020 10:11

The New Rising Will Not Be Available Later On The RTE iPlayer

Written by Kevin Higgins

in Poetry

The New Rising Will Not Be Available Later On The RTE iPlayer after Gil Scott Heron by Kevin Higgins There will be no avoiding it, gobshite.You will not be able to log on, click like and see both sides.It will interrupt your plans for a gap year in Thailand,or to…

Sinn Féin

K2_PUBLISHED_ON Thursday, 13 February 2020 19:58

Anthologies of poetry as revolutionary documents: The Children of the Nation

in Poetry

Written by Kevin Higgins

Kevin Higgins lays into the Irish literary establishment, and praises The Children of the Nation: An Anthology of Working People’s Poetry from Contemporary Ireland, edited by Jenny Farrell There has been much tweeting lately about inclusivity in Irish poetry publishing and reviewing, particularly in relation to women poets. I’m all…

K2_PUBLISHED_ON Wednesday, 12 February 2020 14:03

Callout: Anthology of Radical Scottish Poetry

in Poetry

Written by Jim Aitken

CONTRIBUTIONS WANTED! Writers can be imprisoned for expressing truth to power in some other countries. This should in no way blind us to the need to do just that in our own. Jim Aitken is editing an anthology of radical Scottish poetry to be published by Culture Matters this summer.…

K2_PUBLISHED_ON Tuesday, 04 February 2020 11:22

Universal Credit

in Poetry

Written by Craig Campbell

Universal Credit by Craig Campbell The women and men of the government ark,File us onto a grey sofa.Like a dead whale.A name badge says Brenda:Speaks my number. I am binary. I am poverty. I am shame. Her false nails tap on the Perspex desk, Drums the rain dance. It'll be…

K2_PUBLISHED_ON Sunday, 02 February 2020 20:12

Irish TV Election Debate

in Poetry

Written by Pete Mullineaux

Irish TV Election Debate by Pete Mullineaux I’m rooting for the left – but how to unite the red and green? I think on back to those once separated Luas lines: two sets of track, having avoided one another, awaiting final linkage – how we felt under attack, railed against…

Saturday, 01 February 2020 09:41

A Mother Stamps Her Feet

Written by Rafael Pizarro

in Poetry

A Mother Stamps Her Feet By Rafael Pizarro A mother in San Jose sees a child ina cage and stamps her feet. This is how it starts. In a cabin, at the foot of humble mountains a man and his wife, marriedseventeen years now and still young,watch a neighbor dragged…

Trump

Thursday, 30 January 2020 18:55

Turning Slavery into Art

Written by Fred Voss

in Poetry

Turning Slavery Into Art by Fred Voss “This is slavery,”Armando on the old manual milling machine saysand smileshis ironic smileas all the shop machinists fire up their machines and drop denim or leather apronsaround their necks as the time clock ticks“Every day, the same, every dayhere on the dot every…

Friday, 24 January 2020 10:57

Peephole

Written by Owen Gallagher

in Poetry

Peephole by Owen Gallagher, with image by Jon Addison When a Conservative candidate callsRuth wears a blue rosette. When a Labour candidate knocksshe reaches for red. If there’s a rapid rap she freezesat the thought of her grandparents rising as smoke from a chimney.

Holocaust Memorial Day

Thursday, 23 January 2020 19:40

Prime Ministerial Couplets

Written by Edward Mackinnon

in Poetry

Prime Ministerial Couplets by Edward Mackinnon Not favouring CurryJohn had his way with her, but wouldn’t promote herShe was salmonella poison to the loyal Tory voter Suppliers of corpses His Edinburgh schooling must have taught Blairhe needed a Bush just as Burke needed Hare Economic BraveheartNo return to boom and…

John Major Tony Blair Gordon Brown David Cameron Theresa May Boris Johnson