To those who don’t want poetry in GCSE
It would be nice
If you didn’t spend all that time
Writing poetry.
He could be blunt
When he wanted to.
All that time.
What about reading it?
Yes, reading too.
Why read something you can’t use?
I sipped my tea slowly.
It was the late afternoon light.
Autumnal, the kind you like on your bare back.
What about watching it?
What?
Watching poetry.
You look out and watch the light turn.
Birds slide in like meaning.
A little light changes as you watch.
That’s a poem, he said, and added, for sure.
It would qualify.
What about us? I almost asked.
Amlanjyoti Goswami‘s recent collection of poems River Wedding (Poetrywala) has been widely reviewed. His poetry has been published in journals and anthologies around the world. His poems have also appeared on street walls in Christchurch, exhibitions in Johannesburg, an e-gallery in Brighton and buses in Philadelphia. He has read in various places, including New York, Delhi and Boston. He grew up in Guwahati, Assam and lives in Delhi.