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Mike Jenkins has brought together in this pocket-sized anthology, amusing answers to those difficult early teenage problems – girlfriends, hormones, grandparents, teachers, and coming to terms with a world of contradictions which adults seem to accept.
His vocabulary may not be to everyone’s taste, or understanding, since the Merthyr dialect, whilst eminently street-worthy, is sometimes difficult to decipher (and to read out loud, I find), but the poet’s particular voice is well-suited to the humour of everyday student life, and the mildly shocking. Frequent references to members of staff, either the politically correct English teacher in ‘Mouthy’, anxious for interactive learning on racism and rhythms, or the vocabulary-enriched lady in ‘Nice Advice’ who is hoist with her own petard (in using the word ‘GOOD’), add to the subversive elements of the collection.
The zany cartoon characters, sketched by Catrin Meirion, add to the enjoyment of several of the poems, and help to create a crisp, eye-catching publication.
The reader should not infer by these comments that the poetry is necessarily lightweight, in form or content. There is a variety of rhyming and non-rhyming pieces, with imaginative use of word-play, in poems such as 'Mr M Barass' and 'The Planet Thrae.
Difficult issues, such as missing children and the effects of divorce on family life, are dealt with in an amusing, yet no less moving fashion. Indeed, these very poems may ease the tension of such events in the lives of their readers. I particularly enjoyed the ‘green issue’ poems, ‘Yesterday’s Waste’, ‘Our Facilities’ and of course ‘Chico Mendes’, so simple in its message, so rich in its imagery:
‘………………………
May his roots grow under us all
May the charcoal of greed crumble
And the rainforests never fall.’
So - if you’re an underage-thinker, with the devil in your eye and the music in your ear, you’ll love it! And an underage-drinker? Well, keep off the pints and stick to the poems!
Chris S. Stephens
It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.
Gellir defnyddio’r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatâd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.
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