"Depart, impious foe! I spit upon your face.
Release this child of God, or taste the acid kiss.
The Lord Himself commands, so drink and stay your vice.
Why brazenly refuse, and gag and claw and toss?
Resist, and suffer more: – despair the nail's caress,
and tremble, demon, fear: – bewail the hammer's force.
For you the fire awaits, as through the skull I pierce.
I cast you out – begone!
At last, the ravings cease."
And Pastor counts the cash while Hellish hosts rejoice.
© Anthony Baverstock
Child witches in the Congo
Author's note: As isolated cases these would be harrowing enough, but it is horrifying to think that they are simply instances of an increasingly prevalent phenomenon, and that while children in North America and Britain dress up as witches to play trick-or-treat, many in Africa are branded as such for real with dire consequences.
---------------------------------
Anthony Baverstock is from Colchester, reputed home of Humpty-Dumpty.
Monday, 31 October 2011
Sunday, 30 October 2011
Sunday Review
"In truth, I wasn't really consciously thinking of writing a poem, I was at the computer and suddenly opened a blank page and typed "Marco, you were beautiful" Then I stared at it for a very long time, and the other words started to come." - Jane James
Jane's response to a comment on her poem, The Rider of Fifty Eight, explains the way she was affected by the tragic news of Marco Simoncelli's death, and describes how she was moved to write a poetic tribute to a rising star in the world of motorcycle racing. So many conflicting emotions are triggered by the tragic loss of any life, and in the week when Vincent Tabak was found guilty of murdering Jo Yeates, Anna pressed us ask ourselves some searching questions On Voyeurism.
Vinita Agrawal's first poem for us, brought the Chinese occupation of Tibet into sharp focus with When I look at you, and Peter Goulding's Liberation raised a question mark over the prospects for real justice in Libya, post-Gadaffi.
On Friday we published Philip Challinor's God Helps Those…, as moral dilemmas appear to be as much a current fixture at St Paul's, as the anti-capitalist protesters the church originally showed support for. And what could be more fitting than pairing up Lavinia Kumar's Bologna with Philip's poem? Two works inspired by the 'Occupy' protests, occupying a single post, here at Poetry24.
Clare and I would like to extend an unequivocal invitation to all the poets among you - protesting or otherwise - to set up your virtual tents and voice your feelings about what's happening in the world. Remember how Jane began, with a single line on her screen.
The number of submissions has picked up since our rallying cry, a couple of weeks ago. Keep sending us your poems so that we can carry on the momentum.
Have a great week.
Martin.
Jane's response to a comment on her poem, The Rider of Fifty Eight, explains the way she was affected by the tragic news of Marco Simoncelli's death, and describes how she was moved to write a poetic tribute to a rising star in the world of motorcycle racing. So many conflicting emotions are triggered by the tragic loss of any life, and in the week when Vincent Tabak was found guilty of murdering Jo Yeates, Anna pressed us ask ourselves some searching questions On Voyeurism.
Vinita Agrawal's first poem for us, brought the Chinese occupation of Tibet into sharp focus with When I look at you, and Peter Goulding's Liberation raised a question mark over the prospects for real justice in Libya, post-Gadaffi.
On Friday we published Philip Challinor's God Helps Those…, as moral dilemmas appear to be as much a current fixture at St Paul's, as the anti-capitalist protesters the church originally showed support for. And what could be more fitting than pairing up Lavinia Kumar's Bologna with Philip's poem? Two works inspired by the 'Occupy' protests, occupying a single post, here at Poetry24.
Clare and I would like to extend an unequivocal invitation to all the poets among you - protesting or otherwise - to set up your virtual tents and voice your feelings about what's happening in the world. Remember how Jane began, with a single line on her screen.
The number of submissions has picked up since our rallying cry, a couple of weeks ago. Keep sending us your poems so that we can carry on the momentum.
Have a great week.
Martin.
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