"this is sixth form poetry, not Keats or Yeats"
This poem is inspired by recent research, which has found that substituting refined carbohydrates with fresh avocados can significantly suppress hunger in overweight and obese adults. When it comes to managing appetite, there is clearly no ‘one size fits all’ solution. However, understanding the relationship between food and different populations can reveal opportunities for reducing … Read more
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet; But how would it taste? Salty, Sour, Bitter, Sweet, That other one, the name For which I always forget Until it is on the tip of my tongue: Umami. A savoury taste locked up in Caramelised meat … Read more
Fade In: People wearing masks Ride their bicycles through A skyline of exhaust fumes and Dirty, blackened smoke. Their lungs irritated By the invisible particles that corrode Metal frames and Alveolar walls. RING RING Go their bells as they Cross the road and Casually turn right Into the unmarked bloodstream. Fade In: A sickly … Read more
Within the darkest webs of hidden fear, Bejewelled, unblinking octaves start to glow; The thought of spindly forelegs looming near, Can cause our buried angst to throb and grow. To overcome the horrors we can’t name, We must become exposed to what might be; In dealing with this enervating shame, We need to fight the … Read more
Within the grimy creases of our home, Lurk microbes poised and floating in the dust; A sullied sign that we are not alone. We treat these scrounging tenants with disgust, Yet most of them just want to co-exist; To which our incensed manners seem unjust. By letting sunlight stream into their midst, We … Read more
Our mental health is complex and obscure, There is no simple truth for how we feel; Depression does not have a catch-all cure, But can we swallow comfort from a meal? The fatty acids of Omega three, Are found in fish and help to fight despair; Omega six in food does not agree With building … Read more
Within each breathe of air we need to live, Are carried tiny particles of dust; These specks pass through our bodies’ finest sieve, And cause our lungs and hearts to tar and rust. This dirt can soil the glucose that we make, With diabetes now a risk we take; The most at threat from … Read more
Your thoughts begin to interlock, Surroundings yet again the same; Then suddenly a cold, hard shock, As neurons fire up in pain. Surroundings yet again the same, Defensively you start to clutch; As neurons fire up in pain, You flinch at every lingered touch. Defensively you start to clutch, As something deep within … Read more
The soothing sound of blue floats past my sight, I open up my eyes to hear a shape; The colours and the music are not right, The painting tastes more like a stark landscape. I open up my eyes to hear a shape, As Turner’s clouds begin to smell of damp; The painting tastes … Read more
Plant a tree Go Barbados and plant A palm tree Turn the water off Drink booze Take a shower with Someone else Take a shower with Rhianna This is a poem written by a ‘non-expert’, as part of a research project which used poetry to develop dialogue around environmental change. The theme of this poem … Read more