Don’t Wear It On Your Head, Don’t Stick It Down Your Pants

John Siddique was born in 1964. His discovery of his local library when young began his life-long love affair with what words mean and how they sit together. He is the bestselling author of Recital — An Almanac, Poems From A Northern Soul, The Prize and now Full Blood. He is the co-author of the story/memoir Four Fathers. He has contributed poems, stories, essays and articles to many publications, including Granta, The Guardian, Poetry Review, and The Rialto.

The subtitle of this book is ‘poems for young people’. Make that young people of all ages, any person whose mind is open to a different view. This is a book which biffs you round the ear one moment and takes your breath away the next. There are poems here to challenge and poems to make the reader laugh out loud.

• A Word from the PoetWhich Way Round is the TruthLovely DayMoon InsomniaHeadSnowfallInside InApplesNostrilFamilyWrong DayCat & MatOur TownLoveDinner LadiesHabitual Family ListHeybrook Stream Where I Used to PlayGossipBedtimePoetShopping DayHead for TomorrowMy Own TeacherGrowing PainsMaking it UpDon’t Wear It On YR Head, Don’t Stick It Down YR PantsA Small Poem Called VengeanceTeacherIn Our FamilyA Poem for the People Who Taught MeHaikus of the SeasonsHelping OutMy Body, My Mind and MeRage Thinks About ItselfInside the ShellSkanda KartikeyaSnow, Rain, and SunMemory Photo #1Memory Photo #2Memory Photo #3Monsoon SeasonBorn HereUnexpected GuestsPoetry ExtraJohn’s Top Tips to be a Good Poetry ReaderHow to be a Poet