Some of the children attending the Living Library at a local school asked me for my favourite poem. I asked ‘by another poet, or my own?’ They wanted to know about my own.
not sorry yet holds a special place in my heart, so I’m sharing it again today to celebrate children who not only ask interesting questions but read poetry as well as fiction. Also to thank Librarian Linda Bromyard for organising the event.
And, btw (thanks for asking!) my favourite poem by another poet is A Subaltern’s Love Song by John Betjeman 🙂
four-year-old legs pumping running away
ma shouts after me ‘come back’ sister wails
ma is livid i pushed the bowl downstairs
this is how she sees it it is my fault
a tall ten-pint goldfish bowl three goldfish
i run down the meadow behind our house
it is hay-making time yellow grass scent
and dust tickle my nose and make me sneeze
sneeze stops me for long enough she catches
me i have glanced behind in my run and
seen her struggling with my little sister
but ma is grim-faced and determined that
i will be caught and punished it was an
accident i tripped knocked into the bowl
which bounced down each stair fish flying water
arcing the finest mirrored droplets splash
the sound of breaking glass tinkles downwards
she comes out of the kitchen babe on hip
and roars ‘nooooo’ i flee out the open door
my legs pump i feel my heart i hear my
breath coming jagged i smell the hay i
sneeze she catches me she screams thrashes me
and at each step thrashes me again all
up the meadow back into the house she
is crying hot angry tears me howling
mortified indignant rebellious
an accident i sob my jaw jutting
i am but four-years-old not sorry yet
Polly Stretton © 2012
not sorry yet was first published in my debut collection Girl’s Got Rhythm, available from Black Pear Press at £7.00 +P&P
journalread 
29/06/2015 at 21:38
I remember this one, Polly. Loved it then and I love it now.
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29/06/2015 at 21:40
Ha! We all have our favourites, and this is my favourite of all time to perform–I love it. I also like the device of no capitalisation or punctuation, illustrating the stream of consciousness, for this poem it works. Thanks for your charming comments, Carrie.
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30/06/2015 at 09:45
This is one of my favourites of yours Polly. I simply love it x
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30/06/2015 at 16:53
So pleased to see that, Christine. You’ll have noticed that all’s well with your post now (!) 😉 x
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30/06/2015 at 17:27
😄 Thank you!
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08/07/2015 at 14:08
Polly, I loved it in the book but a good poem seems to improve with subsequent readings.
I must admit, it stirred up a memory of my daughter (then age five) with a goldfish… 😉
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08/07/2015 at 16:04
OMG! Seems many families have similar memories… 🙂
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08/07/2015 at 16:37
A bit of a classic n’est pas?
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