So you don’t like poetry…
If you don’t like poetry, you aren’t alone — but you are missing out! In this series I’ll share some of my favourite poems from all different time periods and styles. Maybe, just maybe, one of them will catch ahold of something inside of you that makes you feel alive.
The Most Approachable Poet — Brian Bilston
Brian Bilston is an English poet known mostly to me as someone who publishes funny little poems on social media, but who is actually a traditionally published novelist and poet of 3 collections. Below are two of his poems, selected for their humor and relatability. His other works can be found here.
As a bit of a procrastinator myself, these poems hit home.
In Meeting Deadlines the rhyme in the second stanza “why don’t we meet / Next Tuesday afternoon” speaks to the bargaining and mental gymnastics I find myself doing to justify avoiding an unenjoyable task, and the rhyme itself highlights the silliness of procrastination which accomplishes nothing but is repeated nonetheless. The final line “Much to my surprise” is ironic and captures the cyclical nature of putting off the same deadlines time and time again.
Likewise, Christmas To Do List, feels like an uncomfortable glance into my own life. The repetition of making and drinking tea throughout the poem makes me feel called out about how often I use tea as a break from other tasks I should be doing. It’s unexpected to see tasks like tea and stroking the cat as “to do’s” and it forces me to think further about the necessity or inevitability of unproductive tasks. Last but not least, the meter is an absolute banger and it really gets me in the upbeat, silly Christmas spirit (try reading it out loud and leave a small pause at each bullet point).
There are many, many more funny and charming (and some serious) poems of Bilston’s to be found. Most are available for free on social media. Why not follow along and let these lovey little poems sharpen your poetry skills one chuckle at a time?