These poems again are incredible. Humorous messages around real-life situations. “Poor” men are taken down a peg or two, love is described in a dismissive ironic way and even animals get a few poems. Wendy Cope also seems to have a difficult relationship with Christmas and English weather. This collection of poems is a small quick read but with loads of big smiles and joy.
I can’t forgive you. Even if I could,
You wouldn’t pardon me for seeing through you.
And yet I cannot cure myself of love
For what I thought you were before I knew you.
Contents
I. Bloody Men / Flowers / Defining The Problem / The Aerial / The Orange / Some More Light Verse / As Sweet / Loss / Another Fortunate Choice / Valentine
II. Serious Concerns / An Unusual Cat-Poem / A Christmas Poem / The New Regime / Kindness To Animals / A Green Song / The Concerned Adolescent / Goldfish Nation / Roger Bear’s Football Poems / Roger Bear’s Philosophical Pantoum / Two Hand-Rhymes For Grown-Ups
III. The Uncertainty Of The Poet / Tumps / Poem Composed In Santa Barbara / The Cricketing Version / 19th Christmas Poem / The Poet’s Song / Reflexions On A Royalty Statement / Pastoral / An Argument With Wordsworth / Variation On Belloc’s Fatigue’
IV. Does She Like Word-Games ? / Magnetic / Variation On A Lennon And Mccartney Song / English Weather / From Strugnell Lunaire / The Homeless Hammer / Ahead Of My Time / Strugnell’s Christian Songs
V. Faint Praise / Men And Their Boring Arguments / I Worry / Two Cures For Love / Advice To Young Women / Exchange Of Letters / So Much Depends / Noises In The Night / Another Christmas Poem
VI. Letter / Favourite / Nine-Line Triolet / On A Country Bus / After The Lunch / In The Rhine Valley / New Season / Legacy / Names / For My Sister, Emigrating / Leaving