Father

Okay, good people. I know what many of you are going to say. But two things struck me about this piece. The first thing is, I have to admit, purely personal, as I lost my own pa recently. The other thing, though, is that I found it to be refreshingly different to most of Biggus's other stuff. There's genuine feeling in it, at least. And it's direct. Sure it's not technically accomplished, it meanders, and it's far from being the best poem to be posted on this site today, or on any other day. It touched me, though, in a certain way ' which possibly says more about me than about the poem (and no, I ain't by any means a Patience Strong fan).

I don't in any way excuse the excesses and prejudices that come across in much of Biggus's other work. I guess I just wanted to give a tiny smidgeon of credit where I thought it might be due. I guess, perhaps, Biggus also needs credit for persistence. Many writers would have given up under the flack he's often justifiably received. Maybe that shows that he's got what a lot of far better, perhaps more sensitive writers could do with: sheer doggedness, despite the odds stacked against him - critically and otherwise.

If you're reading, Biggus¦ work at it. Cut the crap. Cut the lousy recycled old jokes. Drop the tabloid paper brand of humor. Hardly a soul on this site likes it. Read decent poetry, and plenty of it. Experiment. Keep working on stuff like this, too. You might actually start to get somewhere. Unless, of course, you're happy where you are. In which case, be ready for the shit when it comes.