It’s National Poetry Day today. I used to post a poem every year on Crimepieces but got out of the habit. This year I’m doing it again, not least because I recently bought a wonderful collection of poems, Forever, Now by Helen Cadbury. Unfortunately, despite trying, I haven’t been able to contact Helen’s publishers and can’t reproduce one of her poems here without permission. However, I do recommend you buy the book.

Another crime writer who is also an excellent poet is Michael Malone. I’ve shared one of his poems before but here’s another from his collection In The Raw. The theme of this year’s day is ‘change’ and I think this is perfect.

Jekyll And Hide

Stress, what stress? These people
need to get a grip.

Sweat streams through my pores
glueing cloth to the line of my spine

Panic attacks, anxiety attacks,
chemical imbalance in the brain – my arse!

Eyes pulled wide over my skull’s edge
and I still can’t see the beast that strolls

Lot of wasters if you ask me
just want an excuse to laze about

along the fence that rings my vision
waiting to rip into the marrow

and watch satellite TV all fucking day.
I blame these reality “Confessional” programs

of my caged ribs, straining to string
the length of my entrails through hungry claws

and their presenters with only one name,
bastards spreading their crap to improve ratings

I’m on the rim of a daymare
I never sleep, for that is the door it will enter

Stress, what stress?

and never leave.

Malone, Michael. In The Raw. Makar Press.