Contents
Dad, the Donkey’s on Fire (1994) Kake Yourself Comfortable
3
Why We Need Libraries
4
Pit Closure as Art
5
Lilian’s Poem
7
Death’s Feet
8
Husband and Wife
9
Tempest Avenue
9
Deaths from Ice Cream
10
Ted Hughes is Elvis Presley
11
Visit
Early Train, Rain, Wombwell Station
Poem Occasioned by the High Incidence of Suicide
14
16
amongst the Unemployed
17
Song for Roof Building
18
The Force of His Storm Knocked Me from My Stool 19 Moon River: Lives of the Great Comedians 20 Henry’s Skeleton, George’s Leg 21 Jesus Died from Eating Curtains 23 Stone, I Presume 24 Point of Transit 25 Still Life Life 26 Realism (Nothing is Ever Finished) 28 Dad, the Donkey’s on Fire 29
Stories
Poetry Matters
The Route to Work
Whatever Happened to Freddie Galloway?
Grisp the Wheel at Ten Past Two
There’s Always a Man in a Cardigan
Just Like Ours Except for the Ducks
30
36
40
45
51
56
On the Closure of Cadeby Colliery
Title (Northumberland June 11th/12th 1987)
Slow Thaw
In Fear of Abstraction
59
60
62
63
Contents v
