the merseybeat poets
made me realise that poetry
is for everyone
whether they want it or not

discovered the penguin poetry of
the thirties
and then isherwood’s goodbye to
berlin and then
spender and mcneice and the rest
easy I was passionate
about betjeman    ..

in 1979 I watched vera brittain’s testament of
youth on the BBC and bought the book
and read wilfred owen
and discovered horror and beauty and poetry

first read about *** in orwell’s
keep the aspidistra flying
it didn’t sound any good     ..

to the house where samuel johnson
had lived, near the inns of court; leave your
bags down here if you’re going upstairs,
snapped the woman behind the
counter yeah, he’d have loved you       ..

you’re making it up
beatrice cried
and dante said
yeah, well this stuff
don’t write itself   ..

always wanted to make love
with you in the british library
although of course you have to be quiet
in the british library
and I simply can’t        ..