In this episode, poet and criminal barrister Tim Kiely talks about the poem that has been a friend to him: 'Timothy Winters' by Charles Causley.
READ A TRANSCRIPT OF THIS EPISODE.
We are so grateful to Tim for joining us and sharing his story of connection with Causely's powerful poem.
Tim Kiely is a criminal barrister and poet based in London. His work has appeared in 'South Bank Poetry', 'Under the Radar', 'Atrium', 'Ink, Sweat & Tears' and 'Magma'. He is the author of three poetry pamphlets, 'Hymn to the Smoke' (from Indigo Dreams), 'Plaque for the Unknown Socialist' (from Back Room Poetry) and 'No Other Life' (from Vole Books), all of which are available from timkielybooks.bigcartel.com. He can be followed @timkiely1 on Instagram and Twitter.
You can find 'Timothy Winters' in Charles Causley's 'Collected Poems' 1951-2000 (Picador, 2000).
Fiona and Michael mention this year's Forward Prizes for Poetry - find out more about all the shortlisted poets and the prize ceremony, taking place at Leeds Playhouse on 16th October 2023.
Is there a poem that has been a friend to YOU? Tell us about it here and read some of the extraordinary nominations of poems as friends we have received so far...
Tim Kiely is in conversation with The Poetry Exchange team members Al Snell and Andrea Witzke Slot.
*********
Timothy Winters
by Charles Causley
Timothy Winters comes to school
With eyes as wide as a football-pool,
Ears like bombs and teeth like splinters:
A blitz of a boy is Timothy Winters.
His belly is white, his neck is dark,
And his hair is an exclamation-mark.
His clothes are enough to scare a crow
And through his britches the blue winds blow.
When teacher talks he won't hear a word
And he shoots down dead the arithmetic-bird,
He licks the pattern off his plate
And he's not even heard of the Welfare State.
Timothy Winters has bloody feet
And he lives in a house on Suez Street,
He sleeps in a sack on the kitchen floor
And they say there aren't boys like him anymore.
Old Man Winters likes his beer
And his missus ran off with a bombardier,
Grandma sits in the grate with a gin
And Timothy's dosed with an aspirin.
The welfare Worker lies awake
But the law's as tricky as a ten-foot snake,
So Timothy Winters drinks his cup
And slowly goes on growing up.
At Morning Prayers the Master helves
for children less fortunate than ourselves,
And the loudest response in the room is when
Timothy Winters roars "Amen!"
So come one angel, come on ten
Timothy Winters says "Amen
Amen amen amen amen."
Timothy Winters, Lord. Amen
From 'Collected Poems 1951-2000' (Picador, 2000), © Charles Causley 2000, used by permission of the author’s Estate.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
92. Meeting Point by Louis MacNeice - A Friend to Imtiaz Dharker
91. The Domestic Science of Sunday Dinner by Lorna Goodison - A Friend to Malika Booker
90. Dis Poetry by Benjamin Zephaniah - A Friend to Roy McFarlane
89. The Thrush by Edward Thomas - A Friend to Simon Crompton
88. REVISITED: Love by George Herbert - A Friend to Andrew Scott
87. Ceasefire by Michael Longley - A Friend to Jacqueline Saphra
86. The Daughter by Carmen Giménez - A Friend to Gita Ralleigh
84. Little Champion by Tony Hoagland - A Friend to Michael Mark
83. You Don't Know What Love Is by Kim Addonizio - A Friend to Salena Godden
82. What Survives by Rainer Maria Rilke - A Friend to Lois P. Jones
81. My Dark Horses by Jodie Hollander - A Friend to Rosie Garland
80. REVISITED: Remember by Joy Harjo - A Friend to Rachel Eliza Griffiths
79. REVISITED: Poem (Lana Turner Has Collapsed) by Frank O'Hara - A Friend to Harry
78. REVISITED: The force that through the green fuse drives the flower by Dylan Thomas - A Friend to Angela
77. Grief by Matthew Dickman - A Friend to Rowena Knight
76. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot - A Friend To Ella Frears
75. Acquainted with the Night by Robert Frost - A Friend to Glyn Maxwell
74. Poem in October by Dylan Thomas - A Friend to Alex
73. SkyLines Festival featuring Roz Goddard & Rishi Dastidar
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
50 Tastes Of Gray
Dear Alice | Interior Design
Spider-Man Crawlspace Podcast
The Turn of the Screw
Just So Stories
The Magnus Archives
Fresh Air