Tag Archives: Coventry

Frank Poems: SONNET FOR CV2

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Postcode map CV2

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Here’s to the streets and roads of CV2.
Here’s to Hastings, Henley and Highfield Road.
Here’s to Manfield and Mercer Avenue.
Here’s to Wigston, Walsgrave and Wordsworth Road.
Here’s to Coventry, Keats and Cressage Road.
Here’s to Stratford, Sundew and Shakespeare Street.
Here’s to Haseley, Hyde and Honiton Road.
Here’s to Brays and Blackberry Lane. The streets
Roads, avenues and lanes that one might meet
In poems are mostly in posher parts of towns.
Don’t those in poorer parts sound just as sweet?
Don’t they deserve some poetical renown?
Here’s a postcode poem to make up for it.
Here’s, for CV2, my streetwise sonnet.

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"House by the Railroad," Edward Hopper, 1925

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Frank Poems: KEEP GOING POEM

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Wikipedia: UK Cities of Culture

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Coventry, Hull and Derry,
Derry, Hull and Coventry,
Three Cities of Culture,
Culture of three cities.

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Poetry’s part of culture,
Culture’s part of poetry.
I’ve written poetry myself,
Poetry I myself have written

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(I write poems in Coventry,
Coventry writes poems in me)

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But with no discernible effect,
The effect has not been discernible
Of the poetry I’ve written
With no discernible effect

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On Derry, Hull or Coventry,
On Coventry, Hull or Derry
Or even Brays Lane,
Not to mention Britain.

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(Brays Lane’s part of Britain,
Britain’s part of Bray’s Lane.)

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Maybe I’d have more effect,
More effect I’d have,
If I just keep writing forward
And stop writing back.

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"House by the Railroad," Edward Hopper, 1925

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Frank Poems: CV

Americian Psychological Association

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Born nineteen forty-eight, baby boomer me
Petts Wood, north of Orpington, Kentish boy me
Mum, Leitrim to London, to nurse, 23
Dad Dulwich, Royal Air Force in the war he

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Lifted off scales, my first memory
One of five boys (no girls we)
Next to last in class, Shortlands House, not too bright me
Failed the 11-plus, secondary mod me

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Played lots of footie, right-footed me
Supporter of Sunderland, liked red white and black me
Turned into quite a swot, I surprised me
Went to seminary in Wonersh, proved unpriestly

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Married a lovely lass, Czechoslovakian she
Moved to a rented flat, Ash Grove, Anerley
Then Ridley Road, Rochester, near River Medway
While working as a postman London SW1 me

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Seven-week postal strike, but the bosses beat we
Then post office counter staff off Victoria Street me
Then deputy registrar in Gravesend, BM&D
Followed by Coventry, pukka registrar me

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Douglas House flat, Hillfields, 1973
Then semi near the Charterhouse and the old cemetery
Three lovely lads (no girls), mum and dad we
Coventry Poly, administrator me

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Helen joined St John Ambulance, helped out at the footie
Then worked at Walsgrave, theatre nurse she
Followed by freelance, aromatherapy
And teaching at college, anatomy

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Faculty of art registrar in Birmingham me
Friends in Brazil, Belo Horizonte
Amateur artist, would-be new LS Lowry me
Interpreters translators Czech Portuguese we

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Four grandchildren (one girl!), grandparents we
Helen’s got three allotment plots, fruit and veg she
Sent off several poems, serial rejectee me
Irregular heartbeat, boom boom diddle di

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Indian summer, retirees we
Me learning Irish, Tóg go bog é
Helen’s learning Italian, Arrivederci
Herewith the end of my me-we CV

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"House by the Railroad," Edward Hopper, 1925

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THE CHAMPIONSHIP PLAY-OFF FINAL: A poem by GPT Poet (and me)

The Guardian, 26 May 2023: "Parallel lives: Coventry and Luton’s long roads collide in playoff final."

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Below that high arch, in Wembley’s embrace,
Two teams will clash for a Premiership place:
Luton and Coventry, orange and sky-blue,
Multitudes watching – GPT too.

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The advantage will swing between that side and this,
But when they think it’s all over, and then really it is,
Cov will have won, the Hatters narrowly beaten.
A magnificent match which will not be forgotten.

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(If GPT Poet can correctly predict
Who’ll be the winner, before a ball has been kicked,
It’s even more clever than anyone knew.
I do hope it’s right. Up the Sky Blues!)

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GPT Poet, you’re a buffoon.

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About Artists: GEORGE SHAW

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"House by the Railroad," Edward Hopper, 1925

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Frank Poems: THERE ONCE WERE THREE LIMERICKS WHICH

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LIMERICK LIMERICK

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The lovely old city of Limerick
Is the eponym for this kind of lyric
That hasn’t a tune
But, please God, may soon
So the eponymous city can sing it.

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Limerick: Thomond Bridge and King John's Castle

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NOT SENT TO LIMERICK LIMERICK

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Coventry’s Lady Godiva
Was a famous equestrian rider
Who rode through the roads
On a horse with no clothes,
I.e. not the horse, but Godiva.

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Lady Goodrider

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NOT FROM LIMERICK LIMERICK

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A raven-haired beauty from Malta
Had a beau who was not from Gibraltar.
But life would be dull
If I wasn’t from Hull,
Said Paul to Anita (from Malta).

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Valletta, Malta

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In Ñspel │ The Guardian view on two-tone nostalgia: the pride of Coventry

ÑSPEL, FROM THE GUARDIAN, , , , ,
A 2009 photograph of Ska band the Specials, (from left) Lynval Golding, Terry Hall and John Bradbury. “We were doing something that wasn’t in London. It was a sense of pride in where we were.’ Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian
A 2009 foṭgraf v Sca band Đ Speślz, (fṛm left) Linval Goldñ, Teri Hōl n Jon Bradḅri. “W wr dwñ smʈñ ɖt wz’nt in Lundn. It wz a sns v prîd in ẃr w wr.’ Foṭgraf: Martin Godwin/Ɖ Gardịn
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Ɖ Gardịn vy on tū-ton nstalja: ɖ prîd v Covntri

(Transcription of a Guardian editorial of 11 February 2021)

Britn’z siti v culćr fr 2021 z rîtli seḷbretñ a ḿzicl muvmnt ɖt stl cariz a potnt mesij

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11 Febrri 2021

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Inṭvyd a cupl v yirz ago, ɖ līdsñr v ɖ Speślz, Teri Hōl, wz asct ẃt h rmembrd most fondli abt ɖ tū-ton ira, ẃn ɖ band’z homsiti v Covntri hostd ɖ most iṇvtiv ḿzicsīn in Britn. “W wr dwñ smʈñ ɖt wz’nt in Lundn,” rspondd Mr. Hōl hu, rɖr śocñli, z nǎ in hiz 60z. “It wz a sns v prîd in ẃr w wr.”

Fitñli ɖen, wn v ɖ most inspîrñ pirịdz in postwar yʈculćr z t b gvn prîd v ples jrñ Covntri’s fʈcmñ siti v culćr 2021 seḷbreśnz. Covid hz dleid fstivtiz untl Me. Bt ẃn ɖe d bgin, it wz rvild ɖs munʈ ɖt ɖ program v ivnts wl includ ɖ frst mejr xbiśn on ɖ lîvz n leġsiz v ɖ tū-ton ira. Ɖr wl olso b a ʈri-de ḿzic ivnt kretd bî Mr. Hōl.

An injoybl nstalɉfest z ɖus in prospect fr ḿzicluvrz v a srtn ej. Soñz lîc Gosțǎn cn stl sumn p ɖ mūd n fīl v Marġrit Ʈaćr’z Britn. Bt ɖs brīf rvîvl olso sīmz pkłrli wel-tîmd. Forti yirz aftr mixt-rês Covntri bandz sć az ɖ Speślz n ɖ S’lectr blezd a payniyrñ trel, iśuz v rês, culćr n naśnl îdntti r wns agn poḷrîzñ poḷtics. Nemd aftr ɖ recordlebl t ẃć ɖ grūps b’loñd, ɖ tū-ton muvmnt tc on similr qsćnz in its ǒn ynīc stîl. Agnst ɖ grim bacdrop v Naśnl Frunt marćz n mas unimplômnt, it imbodid a viźn ɖt wz qinṭsnṣ́li Britiś, prǎdli multiculćṛl n wîd opn t ɖ wrld.

Sca riɖmz on Speślz tracs sć az Gañstrz n Tù Mć Tù Yuñ hd frst bn popyḷrîzd in Britn bî ɖ ḿziśnz hu arîvd on ɖ Empîr Windruś in 1948. Ɖ “rūd bô” lc – śarp sūts, trilbi or porc-pî hats n a blac n ẃît culrscīm – wz part-Jmecn n part-Ñgliś mód. Ć wīc, ɖs multireśl melãź v stîlz n sǎndz wz ćanld stret intu ɖ culćṛl bludstrīm via Top v ɖ Pops. In 1979, ʈri tū-ton bandz fīćrd in a sngl idiśn v ɖ program. At a tîm ẃn caźl resizm wz stl pvesiv in ɖ popylr culćr n evr-preznt in sitcomz sć az Mînd Yr Lanḡj n It E’nt Haf Hot Mum, tū-ton wz oṗnñ p ny posbiḷtiz v a difṛnt cnd v Britn t a ny jeṇreśn.

Az Britn atmts t “bǎns bac betr” aftr a yir-loñ śutdǎn in trōmatic srcmstansz, Covntri’z prǎd siti-v-culćr steṭs sīmz seṛndipiṭs. Fy plesz hv riinvntd ɖmslvz az dẹrñli in ɖ fes v advrṣti. Luftwaffe bomz in ɖ secnd wrldwor n diindustrịlîześn xactd a hevi tol. Bt, fṛm ɖ snṣtiv rīcnstrux́n v ɖ siti’s cʈīdṛl, ẃć prizrvz ɖ ruinz v ɖ old ćrć dstroid in ɖ blits, t ɖ moḍnist arc̣tecćr ɖt heṛtijcampenrz r baṭlñ t prizrv, Covntri hz śoun an abiḷti t adapt t dificlt tîmz wɖ imaɉneśn n an impresiv dgri v rziłns. In ɖ depʈs v ɖ ic̣nomic rseśn in ɖ 1980z, ɖ siti’z fînist ḿzicl aur xmpḷfaid ɖ sem qoḷtiz v dfayns n crịtivti. Prīfiġrñ a jenyinli dvrs, multiculćṛl viźn v Britn, tū-ton wz we ahd v its tîm. Ol ɖ mor rīzn ɖen t sīz ɖ momnt, dust of old rec̣dz n start liṣnñ agn.

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MOR ARTICLZ Fṛm Đ Gardịn

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Instroduction to Ñspel

Clasics in Ñspel: THE COVENTRY CAROL

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Đ COVNTRI CAṚL

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Anoniṃs

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Lūli, lūlā, ɖǎ litl tîni ćîld,
Bái bái, lūli, lūle.
Ɖǎ litl tîni ćîld,
Bái bái, lūli, lūle.

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Ǒ sistrz tù, hǎ me w d
Fr t prizrv ɖs de
Ɖs pur yuñlñ fr hūm w d sñ,
“Bái bái, lūli, lūle”?

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Heṛd ɖ cñ, in hiz rejñ,
Ćarjid h hʈ ɖs de
Hiz men v mît in hiz ǒn sît
Ol yuñ ćildṛn t sle.

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Ɖt wo z m, pur ćîld, fr ɖi
N evr mōrn n me
Fr ɖî partñ nɖr se nr sñ,
“Bái bái, lūli, lūle.”

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Lūli, lūlā, ɖǎ litl tîni ćîld,
Bái bái, lūli, lūle.
Ɖǎ litl tîni ćîld,
Bái bái, lūli, lūle.

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CLASICS IN ÑSPEL