Poetry Blog by Ian Whiteley

The Beast Beneath The Beck

The beck at Westgate End is full of weeds,

its water is a muddy shade of brown,

confused ducks die within anaemic weeds

as sunken shopping trolleys pull them down.

Sometimes you hear a cold slithering splash,

as though some ancient creature has slid in

to feast upon the centuries of trash.

Who knows what evils are contained within?

It...

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Windsor Street

No bunting flutters in the breeze,

no boys and girls, dressed up so neat,

with not a scratch upon their knees.

There are no flags on Windsor Street.

There are no parties in the yard,

the sandwiches will hold no meat.

They will send no greetings card

‘from the residents of Windsor Street’.

There are no beds of scented flowers,

there are no...

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Sunset Over Lupset (August 1968)

Lupset sunsets smelled of bonfires,

undercut with new mown grass,

wild mint by the kitchen window,

treasures in the strawberry patch.

Father sat with pint of shandy,

The mower cooling in the shade,

the rake stowed by the garden shed,

the kids with sparkling lemonade.

Summer sun dips on the estate

dragging shadows from th...

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This Is The News

You know that there are statistics

waiting to be displayed

when a BBC reporter

stands to the left of a brick wall -

and when the report’s about finance

and they’re stood out in the rain,

you know they’re going to make a pun

about saving for a rainy day.

When did the news become a vehicle

for cheap shots and sound-bites?

Where young report...

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Daily Howl

A quiet boy -

he painted rainbows,

got lost in the words

of ancient poets,

spoke with respect,

offered up his seat

and his place in the world

to the unfortunates.

He smiled,

he laughed,

he spoke in words

of love and peace

with passion

and humility.

His voice

a pacifier.

Sometimes,

when the world was cruel,

he cried

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Painkiller

This world is brutal in its bitter way,

destroying beauty, tarnishing the good,

Hurting the carers, harming those who would

do better with their lives each passing day -

those who, despite all that the doctors say,

take back some control – if only they could

get up from where they drown beneath the flood

of good intentions. So today I pray:

when you’re hu...

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To That Person Who Chips In To Finish A Crossword For You

It is much harder

To answer all but one clue

Than the missing last

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Pub Quiz Theory

Albert Einstein got an i-pad,

flicked the switch on – turned off his brain,

played Candy Crush and Donkey Kong -

was never quite the same again.

He won a quiz night at the pub

by Googling facts and anagrams

and when the music round came up

he slyly swiped to get Shazzam.

He became the talk of the town -

a brainy bastard – all could see,

but his...

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Let The Night Fall

Let the night fall and cover us

with heavy molasses sleep

that makes our bodies

sink into soft linen sheets.

Clouds of pillows

swirling round

our dream filled heads.

Let the night fall and still

the howling creatures

clawing at the doors

of our subconscious..

Folds of duvet

cushioning

the ravages of life.

Let ...

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The Collector And The Collected

I keep it

In case I need it

Or in case

I want to read it again

I keep it

Because it sounds like

Everything

I’ve ever done

I keep it

Because I did it

And I want to

Relive it

I keep it

Because it looks nice

In a nineteen seventies

Kind of vibe

I keep it

Because you gave it

To me

On a ...

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Back To The Park

It’s mid July,

a summer’s day.

School is just

a memory away.

We lay on grass

and watch the sky

and count the clouds

as they pass by.

We talk of bands

we’d like to see -

Led Zeppelin, Quo,

Sabbath and Free.

Insects buzz,

a distant bark,

children playing

In the park.

You turn to me

and kiss my lips

and move in close,

h...

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Eostre

Not the cross or the thorns

or the blood or the nails,

not the spear or the whip

or the rumble of stones

from the mouth of a tomb.

Not the hatred and bigotry,

the small minded hypocrisy

of this clan or that clan

whose father is biggest

or most feared or cherished.

Not the myth and the fable

espoused by blind acolytes

heaven bent on venge...

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A Memory Of Rhinoceroses

they were bigger than a house

and had heads the shape of cars

horns

I think

four of them

or maybe more

one was hooked like a sabre

they didn’t have genitals

that’s why they died out

I think

couldn’t procreate

you see

their flesh tasted of pork

or maybe beef

I’m not sure

and they used to farm them

in Kent

or possibl...

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Elbow Yard

In Elbow Yard the walls are thin

between this world and the next.

We communicate through clairvoyants

because we couldn’t  handle text.

But that’s all right mate,

that’s pretty cool,

you didn’t like clowns

and I’m the fool.

In Elbow Yard the darkness reigns

and death dances out of sight

ready to drag us to his ballroom,

illuminated in pale g...

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Unwanted

I sit upon a judgement chair

And watch the lights

And hear the sounds

That emanate from over there

Where broken hopes

And dreams abound

You pay me well

But do not want me

Sitting there where you could sit

Taking up your place in hell

Amongst the blood

and tears and shit

I came from Spain

To ease the pressure

As hospitals began to...

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Sacred Path

we walked the ancient path together

where ancestors had worn the land

into a waypoint to the barrow

carefully observing rituals and customs

under azure skies we stumbled on our way

across this land of Albion

the hops the wheat the barley

bowing heads in solemn recognition

of the passing of souls

as we walked we talked of many things

...

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amerikkkan trilogy v.2.0 (MUSIC VERSION)

can be listened to on the following link)

https://soundcloud.com/the-man-at-the-back-1/amerikan-trilogy-v20

(1) USMF
When the KKK and the Kremlin
Are sharing their vodka and rye
When redneck mutherfuckers
are making Lady Liberty cry
When The land of the free is walled in
So pesky Mexicans can’t get by
That’s the day the rest of us
Watches A...

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