national poetry day

Well, in the UK, at least, it’s a national day and there’s plenty about it in all the national newspapers. The Guardian, for example, reports a selection of news and associated snippets.

This year’s theme is “heroes and heroines”. I can’t think of any poems in my files that fit that theme, and I certainly can’t produce one to order. So here’s one which refers to the ex-prime minister – definitely not a hero of mine. The poem was published in the South Bank Poetry Magazine a while back.

quis custodiet II

No doubt some people think I should take the whole subject of CRB checks for those working with school children more seriously.

Sadly, the logical corollary to the new UK regulations will be to have the kids themselves checked, as is apparent from this piece from the BBC.

quis custodiet…?

We all know that it’s just about impossible to make a living from being a poet. So poets try and do other poetry-associated activities, such as workshops, readings and talks, to eke out a living.

Sometimes they get to visit schools and talk to the children about poetry and about being a writer.

what do you think of it so far?

I’ve just got back from a short trip to the UK. Each visit makes me feel more like a foreigner in my own country as I realise I no longer know how things work or what etiquette demands in certain situations.

Of course I still speak as if I was a ‘local’, so it must be odd for shop assistants to see me struggle to find the right change or ask for instructions when I pay by credit card with a UK ‘chip and pin’ card. (Spain doesn’t use the system and I tend to get in a complete knot.)

This trip, one thing that caught my attention was the rubbish system.