Thursday, April 09, 2009

Education for Leisure

Today I am going to kill something. Anything.
I have had enough of being ignored and today
I am going to play God. It is an ordinary day,
a sort of grey with boredom stirring in the streets
I squash a fly against the window with my thumb.
We did that at school. Shakespeare. It was in
another language and now the fly is in another language.
I breathe out talent on the glass to write my name.
I am a genius. I could be anything at all, with half
the chance. But today I am going to change the world.
Something's world. The cat avoids me. The cat
knows I am a genius, and has hidden itself.
I pour the goldfish down the bog. I pull the chain.
I see that it is good. The budgie is panicking.
Once a fortnight, I walk the two miles into town
For signing on. They don't appreciate my autograph.
There is nothing left to kill. I dial the radio
and tell the man he's talking to a superstar.
He cuts me off. I get our bread-knife and go out.
The pavements glitter suddenly. I touch your arm.

Carol Ann Duffy

This poem has been banned from a GCSE poetry anthology due to the knife references, as apparently it is not sensitive in the current climate. I think its a pretty good piece of work, the first person narrative would be a great focus for personal responses, and I'm sure many classes would benefit from studying it; thought I'd stick it up! Read the ins-and-outs of the bullshit argument here if you want!

2 comments:

Chima Anya said...

bruv on the real at least the govt is showing some consistency rather than just picking on the urban man dem talking about shanks you get me?

I never liked Carol Ann Duffy anyway.

haha

on the real though, it goes back to the if rappers can't talk about guns why can other poets you get me? big up whoever banned this poem hahaha

Solocypher said...

Fair point I guess, but read the poem in context, its a bit rediculous to ban it!