When a young lady named Miss Hocking
Said, “your behaviour is really quite shocking!”,
I said, “what I done
I done it in fun!”.
She said, “your grammar is also shocking!”.
Rules of Behaviour
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Author Archives: K Morris Poet
What is the Purpose of Poetry?
An interesting piece on Medium entitled What is the Purpose of Poetry? https://medium.com/the-howling-owl/what-is-the-purpose-of-poetry-147ba89ef9b0.
For me, poetry is valuable in and of itself. As with love and friendship it matters because it matters. If you where to pin me down and insist that I provide a fuller explanation, then I would say that poetry matters because it stirs the emotions. It speaks to who we are/explores what it is to be human.
As an aside, I am often puzzled by those who derive great pleasure from pop music (which almost invariably rhymes), yet dislike poetry, much of which rhymes! Perhaps the dislike by some of poetry stems from them having it drummed into them at a tender age rather than having discovered it for themselves.
My love of poetry was sparked by a school teacher, Mr Delacruz who recorded several cassettes for me, including a number of poems. In addition, I spent many hours in the school library discovering poetry for myself via anthologies such as Palgrave’s Golden Treasury and the Oxford Book of English Verse.
As always, I would be interested to hear your views regarding the purpose of poetry/what poetry means to you.
Sporty Miss Pearl
I know a young lady named Pearl
Who sets my head in a whirl.
I think I’m in love
As with her boxing glove
She sets my head in a whirl!
Tombs
I have passed tombs
In the sunshine
And in the gloom
Pondering on rhyme
And my fleeting time.
Scented with perfume
She passed the dead
Who lay entombed
In their unenvied bed
And the dead slept on
When she was gone.
We find brevity in lust
And permanence in dust.
Vampire
Your kiss
A mingling of perfume
With cigarettes.
Led inexorably to bed.
Later I found
Heels in my bedroom
And your perfume
On my dressing gown.
Smoke no longer lingers.
But I find
Sharp teeth and fingers
Occupy my mind.
I Once Met a Vampire Named Keith
I once met a vampire named Keith
Who showed me his very sharp teeth.
When he gnashed his great fangs
I fed him with gran’s meringues
Which poisoned that poor vampire named Keith!
Progress
I saw the lightning flash
Across the sky
And heard the crash
Of thunder
And I
Paused to wonder
On those who stress
The inevitability of human progress
Leaves
Once green leaves
Are brown
On the ground.
Great trees
Wither and die
And I
See dead leaves
At my door.
There Once was a Rake Named Mars
There once was a rake named Mars
Who lit his cigars with silk bras.
A girl called Coral
Said, “you are immoral!”,
So he bought her brand new bras!
Britain’s Participation in the Transatlantic Slave Trade
As those of you who follow this blog will know, I am from the city of Liverpool.
I have long had an interest in the history of Liverpool and am a regular visitor to the city’s museum’s, including the International Slavery Museum, https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/international-slavery-museum.
Liverpool played a significant role in the transatlantic slave trade and much of the city’s wealth was derived from slavery. For example, the beautiful Speke Hall was partly constructed as a consequence of money made from slavery, https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/liverpool-lancashire/speke-hall/speke-halls-colonial-connections.
It is sobering to walk around Liverpool’s International Slavery Museum and to learn of Britain’s role in the slave trade. However, Britain can be proud of the fact that it was one of the first countries to outlaw participation in the slave trade in 1807, and ban slavery in the British Empire in 1833.
History Reclaimed has a fascinating video on the Royal Navy’s role in trying to prevent other nations such as Spain and Portugal from continuing to engage in slavery, https://historyreclaimed.co.uk/the-royal-navys-campaign-against-the-slave-trade/.
Am I in favour of the UK paying compensation due to our participation in slavery? The answer is no. Slavery was (and remains abhorrent). People are not property and each individual is uniquely valuable in his or her own right. However, Britain’s participation in the Transatlantic slave trade ended in 1807 and in it’s empire in 1833. I am highly sceptical that countries with large populations originally derived from enslaved people can blame their countries ills on the actions of British people long since dead.
I am also sceptical as to how such compensation would work and the ethics underpinning any proposed scheme. Should the British person living on a deprived estate pay his taxes to the descendants of slaves some of whom will undoubtedly be far wealthier than he is? If the answer is yes, should black British people be compensated by their white friends and fellow citizens?
There is a strong moral argument for helping to alleviate poverty in the developing world, including in Britain’s former colonies. However, to tie such aid to slavery has the potential to raise racial and international tensions and would not, in my view be helpful in fostering good relations between communities.
We should also be wary of putting the sins of our ancestors on the generations living today. British people alive in the 21st century had no role in slavery and it is frankly wrong to expect them to pay compensation for wrongs perpetrated long before they where born.
K Morris - Poet 