See Quagan Poet blog...

2011-08-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

regarding my plans for changing this blog - if that makes sense! I'm not sure if anyone reads this blog or not anymore. I have done so little with it!!!

See: http://www.quagan.blogspot.com/.

Who is "Everybody", Anyway?

2011-05-05T05:23:00.000-07:00

They’re told to watch X-factor, so they do.

They’re atheists who married in a church.

They almost, nearly have a point of view,

And read the Daily Mirror, just like you.

Nine in Ten are like them, says our research.

She does the vacuum cleaning every day.

They’ll have their second kid by thirty-five.

Ibiza is their favourite place to stay.

They buy and sell possessions on ebay.

They get drunk to remember they’re alive,

Or maybe to forget. Well, they work hard,

So who could claim they haven’t earned the right

To boozy Friday nights – in which they’ve starred

Since teenage years which left them battle-scarred?

They’ve savings, but will tell you “money’s tight”.

They went to Glastonbury for a laugh

Two years ago. Now they can say they’ve been.

He’ll always drink a pint, and she a half.

He likes to wave his Man United scarf.

She “does the gym” to keep her body lean.

They download music now – don’t buy CDs.

They like the bands that it is “cool” to like.

Her skirts do very nearly reach her knees.

She can still wear a Ten – but not with ease.

The Union tells him when to go on strike.

She must apply make-up before she can

Put out the wheelie bins. She has her pride.

They have their mortgage, and their Five-Year Plan.

She’s in the garden, topping up her tan.

He likes his dead pig breakfast, duly fried.

This poem was written last year. It is based upon a rhyme scheme sometimes used by Sophie Hannah.

It was written in response to comments made by my then-CPN (Community Psychiatric Nurse), who kept comparing me, somewhat unfavourably, to "everybody" - this "everybody" who behaved and thought "normally" - as opposed to myself!

The poem is not about specific real people, but I did warm to my theme and ended up with a sort of imaginary couple who represented many of the things which society seemed to view as "normal". I can just hear people reading this poem and saying to themselves: "Oh, but I watch X-Factor! I read the Daily Mirror! What's wrong with that?" Answer: nothing. Nothing whatsoever. Question, though: What is wrong with not watching X-Factor, or reading the Daily Mirror? It is basically a light-hearted piece, but there is a more serious point to it, too. And, incidentally - I ended up quite liking the couple whom I had created!!! :-)

This blog is changing!

2011-03-26T05:42:00.000-07:00

I am so fed-up with trying to persuade Blogger to let me have a third blog and I don't really use this one anyway, so I'm in the process of changing my "Pink Lit" blog into a new Paula poetry blog. This is kind of a new project, and I am hoping to explore the ideas, themes and thoughts behind some of my poems. I have been considering doing something along these lines for a while. I've deleted all posts from the old blog and changed the title, but I seem to be stuck with the URL!!!

Hope to add some content soon. Watch this space! :-)

Behind the Words

See Quagan Poet blog...

Who is "Everybody", Anyway?

This blog is changing!