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Poetry Archive Now Wordview 2022: That Photograph of the Club
by Nairn Kennedy
This was inspired by the antics of a certain politician who left the scene this year, and the background of him and his friends. The poem explores how a person's previous experience might affect their present attitudes and behaviour, for good or bad.
Poetry Archive Now Wordview 2022: That Photograph of the Club
Littered across the steps,
wing-collared cockerels
lounge in blue and ivory,
three thousand quid a whack
from Ede and Ravenscroft.
Buller buller buller.
Later, dodge the bulldogs,
crash a restaurant, suck
its cellars dry, sing, shout, smash
the lights, crockery, bull’s-eye windows;
dust your dainty cuffs and leave.
Trash it and run.
That oik who wanted to join
the club is swotting in the quad,
so storm his room, shred his books,
vomit on his desk.
Buller, buller, buller—
trash it and run.
Waffle your finals, parliament next,
join the country’s rulers.
Shovel cash, plump the swagbag,
fuller, fuller, fuller.
Trash it and run, trash it and run,
buller, buller, buller.
A special thank you to our WordView 2021 poets.
Chair of the Judging Panel, Joelle Taylor, says: "We were thrilled by the range and scope of the poetry and techniques explored throughout the wide submissions. I have said before that to write a poem is an act of resistance but to then perform it as well is a revolution. It takes a bravery to face the page, and a further one to stand by your words. While we’ve all become more used to filming ourselves over the pandemic, all of us were deeply aware of that courage.
Often when on a judging panel we find ourselves faced with impossible decisions. If you can imagine, after sifting, it’s as though a hundred people have crossed the finish line at precisely the same moment but there are only three medals. How do we come to these decisions? Through the objective unpicking of the poems, through our individual passions, through a consideration of narratives, especially those lesser heard. We come to it through uneasy negotiation and through heart, and above all through our shared love and understanding of the possibilities of poetry.
Our honest applause goes to all who submitted, and I hope you can hear it.
Congratulations to those we selected. We hope to see you all again soon."
See the collectionWatch the full Wordview 2022 playlist