The Way Things Are
Roger McGough
Viking (Penguin) 1999
ISBN 0-670-88655-6
No, old people do not walk slowly
because they have plenty of time.
Gardening books when buried will not flower.
Though lightly worn, a crown may leave a scar,
I am your father and this is the way things are.'
The Way Things Are is a book of many voices, of quick boys and sharp gals. Verse that will have you feeling your own collar. A sharp intake at neighbourhood machinations and political correctitude. A gasp of guilt at a ransacked affair. Dissension in the ranks. Childhood Horrors. It isn't funny, so why are we laughing? Because we are in safe hands. The poet is a trickster we can trust.
'For centuries the bullet remained quietly confident
that the gun would be invented.
A drowning surrealist will not appreciate
the concrete lifebelt
No guarantee my last goodbye is au revoir,
I am your father and this is the way things are.
Roger's books are available on-line from Penguin:
www.penguin.co.uk/rogermcgoughbooks |
