Here is a selection of poems that represent the range of my writing, from inspired pieces to written to order poems and those built from provided material.
Samuel Johnson Bookshop
(A written-to-order poem)
Walking down Market Street, Lichfield
There are two bookshops,
Waterstones on the left
Samuel Johnson House on the right.
One smells of new paper,
One smells of old wood.
Some days it’s a Waterstones day,
But today it’s a Samuel Johnson day.
An open door and back to 1708,
A book shop then, a book shop now,
274 years before the first Waterstones.
In SJH you are in Lichfield,
In Waterstones who knows where?
It could be Lichfield or anywhere,
Liverpool or Crewe,
Because Waterstones is everywhere,
But SJH is home.
In Waterstones you can buy games,
But SJH has a museum,
And a very varied Poetry Section.
The Printing Press
(A poem constructed from given material)
In 1436, the Church held its breath,
And then thankfully exhaled.
The control of knowledge is power,
And the Church controlled knowledge.
A printing press needs literacy,
Like an e-book needs an e-reader,
Gutenberg died penniless.
Printers moved to Venice ,
Where books and news pamphlets,
Were exported across distant ports.
Venice , book printing capital of Europe ,
Didn’t launch the Renaissance,
It did accelerate it.
By 1517 the Church lost control of Heresy,
Luther nailed his 95 Theses in Wittenberg ,
Copies were printed in London 17 days later.
I Can’t Write the Blues Blues
(A poem from inspiration)
Oh Lord, take pity,
On this poor boy,
Who can’t write his songs
Of sin and misery.
Oh Lord, I’m just too damned Happy!
Oh Lord, take pity,
On this poor boy,
With no Devil on his back,
With no Hell-hound on his track.
My uncle died, but left me a house,
My father lives and gave me a job.
Oh Lord, I’m just too damned Blessed!
Oh Lord, take pity,
On this poor boy,
The drugs don’t work,
And drink is not a curse.
The only drug I need is Love,
And my woman feeds it to me
Every day and every night.
Oh Lord, I’m just too damned Loved!
Oh Lord, take pity,
On this poor boy,
My woman brings sunshine to my life,
My family brings warmth to my life,
My friends bring cheer to my life,
My dogs keep the Devil outside.
Oh Lord, I’m just too damned Happy!!!
If you’d like to read more, explore my books, come and hear a poem live at an event, or book The Travelling Poet for your event, please get in touch
