[For Rick Sanders / a.k.a. WILLIS the POET]

 

It’s time to make a brand-new start,

And I don’t mean just the prose.

What I need is style over substance,                                                      

So I thought I’d start with a change of clothes.

 

I’ve worn some dodgy gear in the past,

But I need something built to last.

So I’m taking a tip from my main man,

‘Cos you can’t go wrong with a cardigan.

                               

I want a cardigan like Ricks.

Well worn, relaxed, you know the style.

Until I saw him wearing it                                                                                           

I hadn’t seen one for a while.                                   

 

I need a trademark I can sell,

A ‘WILLIS THE POET’ type apparel.

Like our champion of sardonic wit,

Fairisle, Mohair or just plain knit.

                               

To you it might seem out of fashion,

But I don’t care, I have this passion

To stand on stage and lob grenades                                                       

In a cardigan that looks homemade.                      

 

I want that chunky-knitted look,

The sort that only he can master.

But try as I might I look like shite!

A walking, talking, knitted disaster.

                               

I even thought I might try rayon,

But I can’t see him wearing one.

All high-end fashion logo’d retail,

Seems a bit beyond the pale.

I should be thinking, ‘jumble sale.’!                                                                       

 

The King of Comedic Poetry

And charismatic bonhomie,

Radiating Joie de Vie,

The stand-out, stand-up I’d like to be.

It’s just his way of wearing knit

That makes me think, ‘Oh Rick that’s sick, man,

How’d you get away with it’?

It’s hard to compete with such an Icon

Who effortlessly crosses the Rubicon,

From John Cooper Clarke to Val Doonican.                                 

 

The colour doesn’t bother me, but like our hero’s, wool is key.

 

So I don’t care what others say,

With smart new clothes and clever words,

I don’t mind if it sounds absurd, ‘cos

All I really need to succeed is a cardigan like Rick’s.

                               

It’s been a while and I’ve been patient,

Now bated breath turns to consternation,

As the moment of truth finally dawns.

But Instead of his trademark cardigan,

 

He’s got his Christmas Jumper on!