Poetry

Why should I give the time of day

to folk who take their ball away

Especially if that taken ball

is punctured, flat and very small?

Charlie Elphicke:
a gift to the comic
Fancy the fun for
the writer of ribald rhyme

Lampooning his lechery
and wittily wagging his words
Absolutely absurd!

But no laughter lines from me
Sexual assault is serious,
is virulent, has victims.

Sordid story:
Naughty Tory.

Why can't dogs be more like cats?
Scare off mice and drive out rats
Don't sniff bums when folk come round
Make that lovely purring sound
Don't break your stuff or chew your shoe
Dig a proper hole to poo
Or maybe use a litter tray
Cope alone for several days
Don't flood the floor each time they drink
Clean themselves so they don't stink
Wipe their paws on welcome mats

One last time before we split
let's go and sit
in the grassy bit
in the churchyard astride the log
throw sticks for the dog
and look at the playground
and the place where the nursery stood
Before we're gone for good

Janine's video contribution to We Shall Overcome's Isolation Festival, held online on 11 April 2020, featuring the poems:

• Disaffected Middle-Aged Women
• Clap for Carers
• Wherefore Art Thou, Capitalism?
• Unskilled
• Thoughts and Prayers

PJ aka the Repeat Beat Poet, is a hip hop and spoken word artist, and an activist. He spoke to Janine Booth, a trade unionist, Workers' Liberty activist, and poet about George Floyd Protest, police, fighting racism, and more.

More than twenty poets read their contributions to the anthology Coronaverses: poems from the pandemic. Buy the book here.

Lyrics by "Borissey"

He was socially close, untamed, unmasked
His magic medicine uncasked
He didn't care so he never asked

He'll brush it off, he's so athletic
The tough guy, leading man aesthetic
No chance it makes him empathetic

He'll rise above like Kilimanjaro
Always survive like the Cult of Skaro
Covid can't hurt Bolsonaro

In April 2015, the awesome Lunar Poetry Podcast interviewed Janine.

Listen to the podcast here (and listen to Lunar's many other most excellent poetry interviews and discussions)

Here's the transcript:

Host: David Turner – DT; Guest: Janine Booth – JB

Conversation: