Everybody Is a Poem E-Book

Jan Brierton

• Herausgeber: New Island
• Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Seitenzahl: 34

Beschreibung

For the multitaskers, the overreactors, the silent screamers and the quiet lovers Everybody Is a Poem: Midlife in Rhymes is Jan Brierton's second collection. Inspired by Jan's popular podcast these 52 poems delve into the darkest and brightest moments of our day, month or year. Combining rhyme and illustration, Jan puts simple words to those deepest of feelings. She riffs on menopause, midlife, the mental load, friendships, relationships, loss and self-acceptance. Plain-speaking and completely relatable, each poem is served with Jan's signature combination of humour, wit and poignancy. This is poetry for everybody.

Leseprobe

For Alan & Cecilia

Contents

When You’ve Nothing Left in the Tank...

New Year, Now You

When Memories Become Treasure

Lifelines

Plus-Ones

Dress Your Shoesize Not Your Age

The Royal ‘We’

2 Ways to Look at Life

Acknowledgements

But

The woman in me is exhausted,

The chef in me is out on strike.

The teacher in me has nothing to teach,

And the mother in me is in strife.

The housekeeper in me is dog tired,

The worker in me is off sick.

The student in me isn’t listening,

And the wife in me thinks he’s a dick.

(Sometimes.)

The peacemaker in me can’t say sorry,

The friend in me – nothing to give.

The daughter in me pleads ‘don’t worry’,

And the forgetter in me won’t forgive.

The supporter in me has no chants left,

The juggler in me dropped the ball.

The reader in me can’t finish a book,

And the caller in me missed the call.

The cleaner in me threw the towel in,

The fashionista in me looks like crap.

The beauty in me feels more like a beast,

And the gym bunny in me needs a nap.

The talker in me is gone silent,

The carer in me could care less.

The spender in me is insolvent,

And the organiser in me is a mess.

But.

The sharer in me is still sharing,

The thinker in me is still deep.

The lover in me, still has something to give,

And the dreamer in me’s not asleep.

Hold Your Nerve

Don’t lose your shit,

You’ve too much shit to do.

The dinner’s in the oven,

And the school pickup’s at two.

Don’t lose your shit,

Grind your teeth and hold your nerve.

Even though you want to blow your top

And give back what they deserve.

Don’t lose your shit,

Don’t let them wreck your head.

Say, ‘I’ve got a headache.’

Disappear. Take to the bed.

Don’t lose your shit,

There simply isn’t time.

Last night’s delft is still in the sink,

And the school drop off’s at nine.

Summer Hum

I’m out the back, in me fold-up chair,

I’m basking in the sun.

(I dug that Penneys boob tube out)

My soundtrack is a hum.

Not of bees in roses

or Madonna’s ‘Holiday’,

It’s mowers, drills and power tools,

Garden strimmers going all day.

Aldi did a special:

A ‘High Pressure Power Hose’.

Two doors down they got one,

Their driveway fuckin’ glows!

This week I’ll search the middle isle,

Root through canoes and picnic rugs.

For the essential summer must have,

Noise-cancelling earplugs.

Signs of Life

Smiling

Touching

Laughing.

Holding

Talking

Grafting.

Comforting

Supporting.

Growing and cavorting.

Scowling

Shouting

Raging.

Fighting

Kicking

Ageing.

Disappointing

Offending.

Hurting and pretending.

Adult on Call

I don’t want to be

The adult on call today.

I don’t want to chaperone,

To the playground to play.

Or be the P.A., taking bookings

for daily play dates,

Or the driver,

Transporting them and their mates.

I don’t want to referee

the sibling attacks,

Over what’s on the telly,

Or, ‘They ate all my snacks!’

I don’t want to answer to:

‘Where’s my . . .’

Go find it yourself

(It’s in the usual spot).

Can’t you be on call?

While they play out the back.

Just be alert, listen out,

For screams, thumps and whacks.

I need ten, fifteen minutes,

Please, let me sit,

In silence and peace,

With a tea and biscuit.

I don’t need a spa,

A massage, or a swim,

A sound bath in a room,

Where the lighting is dim.

I need a break from my shift,

We could job-share in some way?

I just can’t be the adult,

On call today.

Multitask

I clean my teeth

on the loo, to save time.

In the shower I wash

and scrub off the tiles’ grime.

When I’m watching Netflix,

I do the grocery shop,

And I pay the gas bill,