Paul Brookes

Yo, Sower! I say to all I meet this festive doings. I wear, like all men, a pointed felt hat. This isn’t just a party hat. It make us all equal, bosses and workers and gives me a chance to pretend that I'm free. In our house we've voted troublesome two year old, Kyle our Lord of Misrule. We've already graffitied walls with spray cans, had food fights,

and run around house and garden naked, played between each other’s thighs. I hang holly and ivy in wreaths and garlands.

Give small holly sprig tokens to my mates as this is sacred plant of Sower. What pressies have I got? A dozen three-page writing-tablets, seven toothpicks, a sponge, a napkin, a cup, four quarts of beans, (same line) Picenian olives, a black flask of Spanish grape juice, Syrian figs, glazed prunes, a jar heavy with weight of Libyan figs. (till here) They trying to tell us summat? And simple figurines made of wax, terracotta and wood. Serious is barred this season. I gamble with nuts not cash, toss knucklebones from a sheep’s foot as dice boss gave me as present

as he is happy for me to take time off and do summat am not usually allowed to do. Drink, make noise, appoint kings of misrule, feast workers, sing naked, clap frenzied hands, duck corked faces in icy water.

Paul Brookes: He was, and is a shop assistant, after employment as a security guard, postman, admin. assistant, lecturer, poetry performer, with "Rats for Love", his work included in "Rats for Love: The Book", Bristol Broadsides, 1990. First chapbook "The Fabulous Invention Of Barnsley", (Dearne Community Arts, 1993). Recently

published in Blazevox, Nixes Mate, Live Nude Poems, The Bezine, The Bees Are Dead and others. "The Headpoke and Firewedding" (Alien Buddha Press, 2017) illustrated chapbook, "A World Where" (Nixes Mate Press, 2017) "The Spermbot Blues" (OpPRESS, 2017). Forthcoming chapbooks "She Needs That Edge" (Nixes Mate Press), "Ghost Holiday" (Alien Buddha Press)