<\/p>\n
You\u2019re reading my poetry <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Josh Ekroy<\/strong>‘s collection Ways To Build A Roadblock<\/em> is published by Nine Arches Press.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Join You\u2019re reading my poetry so why not come to my monthly group meetings? Your presence will keep me fresh and as the idea of the poem is changing you will be at the forefront of verse innovation. Becoming a poet-supporter means you get to meet me and inform my line-breaks my choice […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-prose-poetry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18189"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18189\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18305,"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18189\/revisions\/18305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nJoin<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nso why not come to my monthly group meetings?
\nYour presence will keep me fresh
\nand as the idea of the poem is changing
\nyou will be at the forefront of verse innovation.
\nBecoming a poet-supporter means
\nyou get to meet me and inform my line-breaks
\nmy choice of conceits, my ironic juxtapositions
\nwhile helping me to maintain my freedom.
\nI don\u2019t have a mentor who I have to flatter to stay alive.
\nI swim alone in a dangerous world of poet-sharks
\nin which I may be eaten at any time.
\nMy independent and startling voice matters
\nnot just for my sake but for the diversity of poetry,
\na world dominated by a few big names
\nwho all know each other and operate
\na cartel which stifles opportunity.
\nI am always free to hold them to account
\nand I have dared where many have shied away.
\nI do not have to keep looking over my shoulder
\nto see if my imagery or prosody are approved
\nby the gurus of the workshop mafia. I am committed
\nto keeping poetry free on my twitterfeed
\nmy blog, my i-phone and on instaverse.
\nI have no paywall. There is an instinctive bond
\nbetween my readers – they nod to each other
\non the tube as they crack open my new pamphlet. Now
\nyou can actually join me in person
\nand support me by becoming a member
\nof my poetic community, come to events with me,
\ntalk zeugma, travel expenses and what
\nit means to be human. If you read me, join me.<\/p>\n