I don’t mix with poets,
They’re so boring.
I don’t mix with poets,
They’re too self-adoring.
I mix with drunk Magpies,
I mix with no lies,
I mix with a bit on The Side.
I don’t mix with poets,
They’re parasitic.
I don’t mix with poets,
They’re soporific.
I mix with nice girls,
I mix with dumb animals,
I mix with wild birds on The Wall.
I don’t mix with poets,
They’re stand-offish.
I don’t mix with poets,
They’re too foppish.
I mix with my fantasies,
I mix with realities,
I mix with the maids of the seas.
I don’t mix with poets,
They’re just sycophants.
I don’t mix with poets,
They get Arts Council grants!
Keith Armstrong
Commissioned by BBC Radio Newcastle for National Poetry Day
'I don't mix with other poets very much. I have a couple of 'poet' friends I trust but, to be honest, I don't get involved in the scene. On the whole, I think it's much healthier as it can be very incestuous and damaging for you as an individual and as a writer, especially if you're sensitive, so for me it's best avoided. It's hard to explain what the scene is like but it can be vicious. The writing is all that matters surely?' (Jane Weir)
