Poetry

China jails citizen journalist for Wuhan reports

Four years in jail for citizen reporter
Who spread the news from virus-struck Wuhan
Her mother cries in court to lose her daughter
She showed the world the sickness, did Zhang Zhan
So ominous the charges that they brought her
For breaking China’s free expression ban
Their stricken morals under smoking rubble,
‘Picking quarrels and provoking trouble’

After Earth Beat by Paul Weller

Her banner has a planet on, she’s
carrying resistance and insisting that the
government takes action for a new
start for a cleaner, greener future from today.

We're hiding from Storm Bella,
me and my lockdown crew
The kid, our pets, my fella,
we're hiding from Storm Bella
while listening to Paul Weller
and watching Doctor Who
We're hiding from Storm Bella,
me and my lockdown crew

Janine Booth performing at the online Punk for the Homeless gig on 6 April 2020. Poems: - Disaffected Middle-aged Women - The Girl from Clapham - Why Can't You Just Be Normal? - Thoughts and Prayers - This Place - Stonewall Was a Riot - Night Tube - Night Tube (Covid-19 remix) - Dispensible Other - Wherefore Art Thou, Capitalism? - Clap For Carers - Unskilled - Unpublished Author - Stay the Fuck Home - Mostly Hating Tories

On 27 September 2020, Janine Booth broadcasted an hour-long show on Facebook Live, tackling the two biggest issues of the year: the coronavirus pandemic and police brutality.

After Liza Radley by Paul Weller

While others despise her, Liza –
that’s short for Elizabeth – Radley,
I madly admire her, I see
her dance and I yearn for the
stance and the world of the girl
labelled wrong, who has grown with
a mind of her own and I long
not to be scared and to dare to do that with my hair.

Opening presents, singing songs,

Telling Christmas stories,

Spreading seasonal goodwill

And, mostly, hating Tories

Julie Burchill

Will fight them on the beaches like Churchill

She's been cancelled and silenced by opinion shapers

She'll tell you all about it in the national newspapers

pic: Pete Linforth at Pixabay

We must rewild this island
with lynxes, wolves and bears
From lowland up to highland
We must rewild this island
in waterways and dry land
with beaver dams and lairs
We must rewild this island
with lynxes, wolves and bears