The Friday Poem on 22/04/22
We chose Jane Burn’s poem ‘Revelations 01/01/2022’ to be our Friday Poem this week because how could we not? Her voice is immediately recognisable — distinctive, contemporary, surprising. The poem riffs on the demands and pressures placed on us by modern living, building in force and power, layer upon layer, until the torrent of exhortations brings us eventually to just one word. It’s compelling from start to finish.
Revelations 01/01/2022
try harder lose weight skim the weight from your clumsy bones
make a bit more of an effort get fit this is a new start forget
all the empty promises grow your hair vow yourself amazing
stop sleeping with people you only just met stop making a danger
of your skin stop taking risks take more risks do not think that
everything is broken stop letting yourself slip through the cracks
become famous for be anonymous earn money manage the money
you earn eat normally be normal fuck normal learn to love Sundays
find love you are not defined by love tell people that mock your accent
how it makes you feel tell yourself that you are equal try to recognise
when you are doing something wrong tell your value moisturise
your feet give up smoking give up gin discover what might be
bad for you drink herbal tea do fifty sit-ups per day do twenty
sit-ups per do ten do five aim for 10,000 steps a day the Pennine
Way is about 250 miles in six months you could walk from learn
to wild camp learn to drive by the age of 20 30 40 make sure
to pack a nutritious lunch bake your adoration into cakes cut down
on sugar eat yourself well try harder go to the theatre wear
comfortable shoes walk on the beach walk to the shops take the
stairs scarves are both functional and beautiful you are beautiful
and functional work hard work harder read read better write
write better learn how to crochet ask for help ask for the right help
set the clock five minutes fast learn to play the ukulele de-clutter
write poems write poems smiles are the summer of the face dispose
of every photograph that makes you feel upset master your fear of
swallowing orange pith imagine yourself as other as hare as horse
as deer as whale as bird sing as though your child is listening
grow your own tomatoes clear an hour each day for reading notice
all the little things learn the names of wildflowers plant a tree plant
another tree find out who you are find the story of your grandmother’s
past go back to school repeat the word academia until it feels
comfortable in your mouth endure the discipline of sonnets always
carry a notebook jot a few lines down every day at least one word
