Poetry Please - A Little Culture For The Masses

[aardvark6535]

Everyone knows a poem from their youth, a poem they either loved or hated, how about sharing it with us, including why you particularly liked or disliked it.

 

My little ditty, though written in modern times, still takes me back to the Tall Ships that used to be at sea for two/three years at a time, and barely making it back to land. Attributed to Captain Hamish Blair, I give you  - 

Bloody Orkney

 

This bloody town's a bloody cuss
No bloody trains, no bloody bus,
And no one cares for bloody us
In bloody Orkney.

The bloody roads are bloody bad,
The bloody folks are bloody mad,
They'd make the brightest bloody sad,
In bloody Orkney.

All bloody clouds, and bloody rains,
No bloody kerbs, no bloody drains,
The Council's got no bloody brains,
In bloody Orkney.

Everything's so bloody dear,
A bloody bob, for bloody beer,
And is it good? - no bloody fear,
In bloody Orkney.

The bloody 'flicks' are bloody old,
The bloody seats are bloody cold,
You can't get in for bloody gold
In bloody Orkney.

The bloody dances make you smile,
The bloody band is bloody vile,
It only cramps your bloody style,
In bloody Orkney.

No bloody sport, no bloody games,
No bloody fun, the bloody dames
Won't even give their bloody names
In bloody Orkney.

Best bloody place is bloody bed,
With bloody ice on bloody head,
You might as well be bloody dead,
In bloody Orkney

 

There's nothing greets your bloody eye 
But bloody sea and bloody sky,
 'Roll on demob!' we bloody cry
 In bloody Orkney.

Edited November 27, 2023 by aardvark6535

[Mister M]

I've never been a fan of poetry ever since studying The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock at school.

Though I can recommend the poet Sylvia Plath's novel "The Bell Jar" - it's not as morbid as you might think.

[cressida]

We had to read 'The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner'  and 'Hiawatha' at school - you got off lightly.

 

Yes Sylvia Plath is interesting,  I have 'The Bell Jar',  there was a film starring Daniel Craig as Ted Hughes.

[Prettytom]

Miserable Macolm from Morecombe
had Rottweilers but would not walk 'em.
They were stuck in all day
but no muck would they lay
because Malcom had managed to cork 'em

[Cyclunt]

Boom boom boom,

Boom boom boom.

Boom boom boom

Boom boom

 

A true classic.

[RJRB]

Kipling might be out of favour by some nowadays,but I still like much of his poetry.

Favourite being The Gods of the Copybook Headings.

Also Maya Angelou “And still I rise”

Hope the thread continues 

 

[echo beach]

‘Dog in the playground’ by Allan Ahlberg.
Used to read it to my class, increasing the tempo as it progressed. They loved it.

 

‘Night Mail’ by W H Auden 1935 and the GPO 1936 documentary with score by a young Benjamin Britten.

 

echo.

[KP Nuts 2]

Not sure where this came from or how I came across it, I'm sure someone will know.

 

As a rule,

Man's a fool,

When it's hot he wants it cool,

When it's cool he wants it hot,

Always wanting, what is not.

[Mister M]

1 hour ago, Cyclunt said:

Boom boom boom,

Boom boom boom.

Boom boom boom

Boom boom

 

A true classic.

That was a song by the Venga boys

1 hour ago, cressida said:

We had to read 'The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner'  and 'Hiawatha' at school - you got off lightly.

 

Yes Sylvia Plath is interesting,  I have 'The Bell Jar',  there was a film starring Daniel Craig as Ted Hughes.

That was the one with Gwyneth Paltrow as Sylvia. I remember watching it when it was shown on telly

[hackey lad]

I can’t remember one poem from school  .