What Is Free Verse? Poem by Denis Martindale

What is free verse! ? What is free verse! ?
I'll tell yer what's free verse!
Free verse? That's when the poet gets nuffink!
Not a penny, not a sausage for his poem...
He spent hours on that poem, yeah, hours...
Nobody spent a penny on buying his poem.
He had to pay for his home and his car.
He had to pay for his family's food and clothes.
He had to pay for his paper and pen and typewriter.
He had to pay for his computer and his printer.
He had to pay electricity, water and gas bills.
He had to pay VAT and the terrible TV licence tax.
He had to pay for his phone line rental and Broadband.
He had to pay for every flipping thing!
Nobody else helped him. Nobody sponsored him.
Free verse? That's what poets share with skinflints!
Yeah, that's what free verse is. It's free...
But it's won too free if you ask me!


Denis Martindale April 2017.