Walking home in the pouring rain
I pondered on AI
And those who continue to maintain
The inevitability of progress.
The rain continued to fall.
Although I heard
No human word
Nature seemed to laugh
As I passed
Along the familiar churchyard path.
I am pleased to let you know that my new show on the World Poetry Café is now live and can be found here https://www.mixcloud.com/VictorSchwartzman/world-poetry-cafe-july-24-2025-kevin-morris/
As many of you will be aware, I am a regular guest on the World Poetry Café. However, I now have a dedicated monthly show, during which I read and discuss not only my own work but that of others. In this podcast, I read A. E. Housman’s wonderful poem, “On Wenlock Edge” and talked about the life of the poet. In addition, I also answered questions from the hosts regarding my view as to how people can best start their unique journey into poetry.
My segment appears approximately 15 minutes into the podcast, which also includes me reading several of my own poems.
When young ladies waving very wet mops
Jumped and danced on the table tops,
All the old gentlemen cheered.
While I shaved my beard.
And the waiters they called the cops!
Is English literature dying? The conclusion of a discussion on the New Statesman’s Youtube channel is that English literature is indeed dying and will be largely replaced by short form videos on Tik Tok, Youtube and other similar channels. You can watch the video here https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=decline+of+english+literature+new+statesman+youtube&mid=5B236ED81B4763A297425B236ED81B4763A29742&FORM=VIRE
The author Mark Twain is said to have remarked that, “reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated”. I certainly hope that this proves to be so with the predicted demise of English literature.
Whilst it is almost impossible to draw sweeping conclusions from one’s own experience, my use of Tik Tok has resulted in a very high volume of likes and comments on my poetry videos, and a number of commenters have been kind enough to say that they will buy copies of my books. Therefore short form videos do, in my admittedly limited experience have the potential to actually increase interest in literature and assist in the sale of books.
You can find me on Tik Tok here https://www.tiktok.com/@kevinmorrispoet
As always, I would be interested in your views.
I know an extremely pretty young barmaid
And many a game we have played.
When I say to her, “Bess,
Shall we play draughts or chess?”,
She winks at me does that barmaid …!
Traffic goes by
It’s sound amplified by rain.
A plane flies
In the summer sky
And birds sing.
While I compose my poetry
Touching on eternity
And the fleeting spring.
When a beautiful young lady said, “Kevin,
At seven I’ll send you to heaven!”.
I said to her, “darling Heather,
I look forward to the pleasure!”,
Then she produced a pistol at seven!
After their perfunctory hug
She leaves his flat.
She knows the street is cold.
Though she has never experienced that –
Just his snug flat
Where time passes
In wine glasses.
And 2 bodies meet
Under the unjudging sheet.
As some of you know, I am a regular guest on the World Poetry Reading Café, where I read and discuss my poetry.
I am delighted to announce that I have been invited to do a monthly segment (starting on 22 July), during which I will interview fellow poets and read some of my own poetry from time to time.
If you are a poet and would be interested in being interviewed by me, please send an email to kmorris poet (at) gmail.com with the subject line “World Poetry Café”. Please include a brief biography in your email together with any links to your social media Etc. No explicitly adult content please.
You can find previous episodes of the World Poetry Café here https://www.mixcloud.com/genres/world-poetry-cafe/.
I look forward to hearing from you.
I have gone and bought a gorgeous AI
Who goes by the name of Miss Sky.
She says “as a robot,
I often get real hot”.
Then she smiles and bats her one eye …
K Morris - Poet 