Vernacular Verse

The main purpose of this blog is to communicate with other people who are interested in reading and writing poetry.

At the moment I'm reading The Faber Book of Vernacular Verse edited by Tom Paulin. It includes folk rhyme, graffiti, popular songs and riddles as well as canonical verse. You will get an idea of the range from these four poems:

Wooden belly
iron back
fire in th' hole
goes off with a crack*


Thenmy of liff decayer of all kynde
that with his cold wythers away the grene
this othre nyght me in my bed did fynde
and offered me to rid my fiever clene
and I did graunt so did dispayre me blynde
he drewe his bowe with arrowe sharp and kene
and strake the place where love had hit before
and drave the first dart deper more and more

[I worship Wyatt]

"Scribbled at a Cabinet Meeting"
by Sir Edward Carson

(Lloyd George speaks)
I curse the optimistic views of Haig -- I don't believe'm
I curse the pessimistic views of Jellicoe -- relieve him
Let Gough be sacked and Haig be damned
On justice let the door be slammed
Let gossip rule instead of law I'll rule the services by jaw


and

Grasshopper is a Burden [I’m guessing about the linebreaks in this one]
by D.H. Lawrence

Desire has failed, desire has failed
and the critical grasshopper
has come down on the heart
in a burden of locusts
and stripped it bare.


*the answer to the riddle is 'rifle'