I Say I Say I Say by Simon Armitage
I Say I Say I Say
Simon ArmitageAnyone here had a go at themselves
for a laugh? Anyone opened their wrists
with a blade in the bath? Those in the dark
at the back, listen hard. Those at the front
in the know, those of us who have, hands up,
let’s show that inch of lacerated skin
between the forearm and the fist. Let’s tell it
like it is: strong drink, a crimson tidemark
round the tub, a yard of lint, white towels
washed a dozen times, still pink. Tough luck.
A passion then for watches, bangles, cuffs.
A likely story: you were lashed by brambles
picking berries from the woods. Come clean, come good,
repeat with me the punch line ‘Just like blood’
when those at the back rush forward to say
how a little love goes a long long long way.
MARGINALIA
Studying repetition for my manuscript. Was researching and found this.
ABOUT SIMON ARMITAGE
Simon Armitage was born in Marsden, a village in West Yorkshire, England. He was named UK Poet Laureate in 2019. The recipient of numerous honors and awards, Armitage was named the Millennium Poet in 1999, a Fellow of the Royal Society for Literature in 2004, and a Commander of the British Empire in 2010. In 2014 he was awarded the Cholmondeley Award. Armitage is the author of numerous collections of poetry, including Magnetic Field: The Marsden Poems (2020); Sandettie Light… (more)
Read more poems by Simon Armitage • Find books by this poet on Amazon • Bookshop • Or view my library
ENDNOTES
- Explore other works in pursuit of: isolation • irony • despair • Or browse the index
- If this work resonates with you, please consider supporting the archive. Thank you for reading.




jordan
wow man your good .
Jack
you’re ***