Following The Mersey Sound: Penguin Modern Poets 10, published in 1967 and a bestseller ever since, Roger McGough has continued to extend his range to become one of the leading lights of British poetry for children and adults alike. The State of Poetry is a selection of his shorter, more playful comic poems.

Scintillate

I have outlived
my youthfulness
So a quiet life for me.

Where once
I used to
scintillate

now I sin
till ten
past three.


Fame

The best thing
about being famous

is when you walk
down the street

and people turn round
to look at you

and bump into things.


Five Ways to Help You Pass Safely through a Dark Wood Late at Night

1. Whistle a tune your father whistled when you were a child

2. Cross the first two fingers of your left hand

3. If you lose sight of the moon hold it in the mind's eye

4. Imagine the colours around you waiting for the first kiss of morning

5. Keep a Kalashnikov in the glove compartment

Hard Times

When we were up we were beaten
When we were down we were kicked
We used to be given meals-on-wheels
Until the wheels got nicked

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