The Friday Poem

A poem every Friday

Bruno Cooke

A pink square-shaped speech bubble on a dark blue background.

The hairier I am, the sexier I feel

Bruno Cooke ranks the five poems shortlisted for the Jerwood Prize for Best Single Poem – Performed 2024
A photograph of a bearded man with wild greying hair. The words 'LIFE'S ALWAYS BEEN A BATTLE BETWEEN DEAD POETS AND LIVING' are superimposed in white text.

Making sense of an often-meaningless world

Bruno Cooke talks to Darby Hudson, the bearded Australian poet in the cuddly jumper
A photograph of Taylor Swift taking a vinyl disc from its sleeve. the album is hers, the cover shows the normal rock'n'roll stuff, you know, woman in underwear lying on a bed etc.

Lunar valleys in my mind

Is Taylor Swift a 'tortured poet'? Bruno Cooke listens to her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, to find out
Collage made up of pictures from the instagram feed of the poets mentioned in the article. There are images of the poets looking direct to camera and also some words such as 'compassion must prevail'. Also a cat sitting on a table.

Poetry on social media: riding the wave

Bruno Cooke looks at three poets who successfully integrate social media into their poetic method
Graphic with a green background showing a repeating motif of drawn black and white bicycles. It would make excellent wallpaper for a keen cyclist.

The Joy of Cycling

Our Spoken Word Editor Bruno Cooke is off round the world on two wheels. He considers the joy of cycling, in poetry.
Portion of a book cover showing an abstract image (I know , another one, but this one is quite good). The background is horizontal thick blue and red wavy lines. On top of this are some flat yellow graphics representing wooden signposts.

Haunted, haunting, cursed and cursing

Bruno Cooke reviews Farewell Tour by Stefan Mohamed (Verve, 2022)
Photograph of what looks like a goalpost at dusk. Its hard to tell though, it could be a large staple superimposed on a landscape background.

A good flow is like a fossil / it preserves the time

Bruno Cooke reviews The Lost Chronicle by Polarbear (Bloomsbury, 2022) 
A red background has a repeating pattern on it, the pattern comprises two open hands with stigmata, a syringe with a needle and some figs, halved and whole.

The wasp in the fig’s tissue, sharp as a slice of paper

Bruno Cooke reviews Stephen the Phlebotomist by Nadia Lines (Nine Pens, 2022)
The word Orlam in black script on a parchment background. The "O" is enormous and is surrounded by small line drawings of birds and insects in red. White lines like trees are in the background, and a black line-drawn lamb hangs in the centre.

Your death opens gates to the dark world

Bruno Cooke reviews Orlam by PJ Harvey (Picador, 2022)
Tom is dressed in, I dunno, cellophane maybe? the background is broadly pink and they have a hat that resembles a chicken carcasse

Sky blue pink

Bruno Cooke on the many faces of artist, poet and social worker Tom Stockley


Photo by Will Thomas
three book covers in a fan shape, one has blue and grey vertical stripes, one has a pattern of hexagonal cells a bit like a hive with a black and white bee on it, one is green with a painting of a mother and daughter

Three pamphlets: Erica Gillingham, Stephen Payne and Khadija Rouf

Rachael Matthews reviews The Human Body is a Hive by Erica Gillingham, Richie McCaffery reviews The Wax Argument by Steven Payne, and Bruno Cooke reviews House Work by Khadija Rouf
Kind ofd abstract blocky design in blue and grey with a pause icon in a orange circle in the centre.

Selected Ambient Works

Bruno Cooke reviews You've got so many machines, Richard: an anthology of Aphex Twin poetry, edited by Rishi Dastidar and Aaron Kent (Broken Sleep, 2022)