Friday poem: 'No Ball Games'
A Friday poem from Plum, the new poetry collection from Hollie McNish, winner of the 2017 Ted Hughes Award.
By Hollie McNish
there are no
welcome signs
no signs of life at
night the signs
reflect the fight
‘NO ENTRY' here
‘NO UNDER-AGE'
no music bars
no clubs, no raves
like ghosts
the ‘youth' now shuffle round
youth clubs closed
for lack of pounds
some kids dine in
heated homes
playrooms full of
friends and phones
others roam
for empty parks
homes too small
or simply can't
not allowed
to bring friends back
no owned space
to sit and chat
groups of friends in parks
now gangs
hanging out now classed as
hatching plans
I think the hardest age is teen
too old to play, too young to wander free
by night ‘NO UNDER 21s' inside
by day no play ‘NO BALL GAMES' signs
no throwing, catching, football matches
one broken window, council snatches
every patch of makeshift pitch
not got a garden? give a shit!
that small green patch is yours no more!
‘NO BALL GAMES' signs stuck in their hordes
in parks, these signs all laugh the same
‘NO OVER 14s' – please go away!
no roundabouts, no swings, no slides
you'll drink, you'll shag, you'll sit outside!
where teens ride roads, now metal poles
pop up in formal demon drones
‘NO SKATEBOARDING', no wheels, no bikes
all public concrete set with spikes
still headlines cry – obesity!
– computer games! – too much tv!
‘KEEP OFF THE GRASS'
‘KEEP OFF' ‘KEEP OUT'
‘NO BALL GAMES' here
no teens allowed
so now
boredom
stinks of shit
from sewers, seeps to streets to poison kids
preaching, it lies in gutters lined in teenage kicks
deflated footballs, mud and teenage sick
with stomachs thick and sagging centres
minds left numb and fun repented
it snatches fire-filled beating teenage hearts
pours water over bursting teenage sparks
till nothing's left, nothing to do
towns now turned to teenage zoos
caged and locked, their pathways blocked
left only cock or trudging shops
as the young poor wait and rot
labelled yobs by headline cops
while adults frown
and walk away
looking down
on youth today
as children play
now let us pray
Plum
by Hollie McNish
Plum is a wise, candid and sometimes rude collection of poems full of honesty, conviction and love. Featuring poems written throughout Hollie’s life, from childhood to motherhood, Plum is a celebration of life and a book about the messy business of growing up.