Category Archives: Everyone

This month (on 6 February) I’m remembering the life of my great friend, poet, mentor and fellow bookseller, Rudi Holzapfel.

I’ve written many times about our meeting and working together. This year i’m leafing through my archive of his work and looking back over the 20 years since Rudi passed away.

If you would like to see and hear more, have a look at the website where there’s a number of readings, by Rudi, from selected poems. Some of his collections are still available, often at a price for the limited editions.

Picture copyright Joe Kenny. Fethard, Co. Tipperary.

There’s everything from haiku, to the Gettysburg Address, from Stevie Smith to ‘Come, friendly bombs, and fall on Slough’ (Betjeman). It’s comforting to read words we loved and those we were forced to love, my Mum’s favourites and those my Grandad stumbled over. There’s also something soporific abut sitting and quietly contemplating the poets words just before you sleep.

Today (Christmas Eve 2024), I’m reminded of a wonderful poem by the late Benjamin Zephaniah. Taken from his book of the same name, it makes the fun case that a turkey is not just for Christmas, they’re so much more! Here’s the first verse. I encourage you to read it, in full, either at Benjamin Zephaniah as well as other places on the web. You can even download a pdf.

Be nice to you turkeys dis christmas
Cos’ turkeys just wanna have fun
Turkeys are cool, turkeys are wicked
An every turkey has a Mum.
Be nice to you turkeys dis christmas,
Don’t eat it, keep it alive,
It could be yu mate, an not on yu plate
Say, Yo! Turkey I’m on your side.

Zephaniah, B. 2015, Turkeys, Puffin Books.