Inside Poetry for National Poetry Day 3

Since our Book of the Month this month has been chosen by William Sieghart, the founder of  National Poetry Day we’re putting up a poem a week, written by a prisoner, in the month leading up to it.

National Poetry Day is on October 2nd. And the Forward Prizes for Poetry, also started by William Sieghart, are on September 30th. Our poems were originally published by Inside Time and have been specially selected for us by Rachel Billington.

True Brit – Supplement Runner Up

From Neil Harrison-Scott – HMP Risley

 

I’m sick and bloody tired of hearing
Young folk rant and rave
About the state our country’s in
Why don’t they just behave?
Cos I’m proud to be British
For all that its worth

When I think of the impoverished
Who have it much worse!
Take the plight of the third world
Just a continent away
Where poverty, drought and famine
Are the order of the day
So I wish you’d try to ‘hold it down’
And remember the things we’ve got
Electricity, sanitation for starters, so don’t frown
Because most African nations have not!

Also think before you begin to moan
Regarding your council, income or bedroom tax bill
Cos you’d be lost without your smart phone
Your iPad or Tablet and yes the morning after pill
Your God forsaken loved ones statistics on the casualty list
You would then have the right to complain ‘what for?’
Do you know get my meaning, the gist?
Try to picture, destruction and friends on today’s body count
A car bomb, your street blown to bits
Now that would fit on Facebook, or Twitter Account.
Or on Youtube it’d score millions of hits!
Imagine to your horror. Your kids speak out to play
In a war-torn Syrian street
Or if, through minefield, your only access or way
To the food supply, just to make ends meet!

Your mobile phone envy, your apps, network sites
And your viral games somewhat delusional
Instead, turn your phone off, watch documentaries some nights
Educate yourself with a break from the delusional

‘What’s the country coming to?’, cry they
In blatant ignorance and fear
To that I would reply
Say… being born and raised in North Korea
To be brainwashed and beaten by a tyrannical rogue
Dictator Kim Jong-Un
Take your heads out of lads’ mags, or Vogue
To imagine how that would make you feel
Now I know of late, austerity measures seem bad
Especially with the long painful recession
But I hope that this rhyme from a concerned dad
Has taught most of you a basic lesson
For heaven’s sake, don’t take things for granted
Be grateful, and treasure all you have, a lot
Just be sincere, appreciative and grateful
Of what you have bloody got!