One author’s critique of a friend’s new book
There’s war abroad
Needs more grim
The government is criminal
Needs more grim
There’s sexism/racism/transphobia
Needs more grim
The fascists are taking over
Needs more grim
Food prices are rising
Needs more grim
We’re running out of fuel
Needs more grim
The shop shelves are bare
Needs more grim
There’s a shortage of tea
It’s grim oop north
***
For my non-British readers, a little context: Yorkshire, in the north of England, is renowned for its tough, matter-of-fact, can-face-any-hardship people. They are also considered to be a little dour; and they drink a lot of tea.
The last line is a famous saying from I know not where. It refers to earlier times when the north was full of mills, machinery, and pollution, thanks to the industrial revolution; when people -including children – who had worked in the fields were forced to work in factories and live in slums.
The ‘oop’ is a written rendering of ‘up’ in a Yorkshire accent.
Honestly, I hate it when poems need so much exposition, the explanation is longer than the poem; sorry about that.
Poetry Fluff 