Some More Light Verse by Wendy Cope
Some More Light Verse
Wendy CopeYou have to try. You see the shrink.
You learn a lot. You read. You think.
You struggle to improve your looks.
You meet some men. You write some books.
You eat good food. You give up junk.
You do not smoke. You don’t get drunk.
You take up yoga, walk and swim.
And nothing works. The outlook’s grim.
You don’t know what to do. You cry.
You’re running out of things to try.You blow your nose. You see the shrink.
You walk. You give up food and drink.
You fall in love. You make a plan.
You struggle to improve your man.
And nothing works. The outlooks grim.
You go to yoga, cry and swim.
You eat and drink. You give up looks.
You struggle to improve your books.
You cannot see the point. You sigh.
You do not smoke. You have to try.
MARGINALIA
Almost one in the morning, am back at my desk working. Listening to Mozart to calm my nerves. I’ve seen less than ten people for the last week, and I’m beginning to get anxious at my becoming a hermit again. My thoughts alternate between joy at what I do and then despair at what I do. Ah, T., get a grip.
KEEP READING
SHARED WITH GRATITUDE
This poem appeared in Serious Concerns by Wendy Cope, published by Faber and Faber, 1992. (Available on: Amazon • Bookshop)
ABOUT WENDY COPE
Wendy Cope was raised in Kent, England, where her parents often recited poetry to her. She earned a BA in history and trained as a teacher at Oxford University. Cope’s poetry collections include Serious Concerns (1992); If I Don’t Know (2001), shortlisted for the Whitbread Poetry Award; Two Cures for Love: Selected Poems 1979–2006 (2008); Family Values (2011); Christmas Poems (2017), a collection of new and previously published Christmas-themed work;… (more)
Read more poems by Wendy Cope • Find books by this poet on Amazon • Bookshop • Or view my library
ENDNOTES
- Explore other works in pursuit of: love • persistence • frustration • Or browse the index
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gravecarriage
Hi, funny to stumble upon you. I googled “some more light verse wendy cope” to link the poem to a friend, and I recognized your profile pic from twitter 😛 – @gravecarriage
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