People
Ten Poems about Mothers
ISBN 978 1 907598 85 2
Published January 2011
Revised September 2019
24 printed pages
Various Authors
£5.95
This wonderful mini-anthology of poems is a celebration of the many ways in which mothers are important in our lives. We meet the bedtime-story-reading mother with her special bedtime story voice, and the mother who loves to cook with fruit and vegetables from her patch at the bottom of the garden. Then there’s the elderly mother who can still manage a couple of “quick two minute waltzes” to Abba or Queen when her son comes to visit. This mother’s relationship with her son is complex, but nevertheless there is love.
There are also poems that celebrate the precious memories we hold after our mothers are no longer with us. When a man hears a woman singing he is transported back:
“To the old Sunday evenings at home, with winter outside
And hymns in the cosy parlour, the tinkling piano our guide.”from ‘Piano’ by DH Lawrence
These poems will make you laugh and cry – and sometimes both.
Poems by Fleur Adcock, Mona Arshi, Gillian Clarke, Maura Dooley, Jonathan Edwards, Jackie Kay, DH Lawrence, James Reeves, John Siddique and Benjamin Zephaniah.
Testimonials
“A 'Keep Calm' card for Mum with its garish bright pink cover is an easy option. Classier is Candlestick Press’s rather lovely pamphlet.”
Emily Rhodes, The Spectator Books Blog
