Home » Poems » Alan Ireland » Cut-Price Poetry

Cut-Price Poetry

Why am I drawn to this scowling girl selling her poems in a Shinjuku underpass? Every Tuesday she is here, next to a Nikon ad, threatening commuters with her cyclostyled angst. Busy people keep up with the times, do a tap dance on their smartphones. Only drunks buy poetry. Grubbing for their last, sweaty coins, they mock her with every purchase.

Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem.

Please Login to post a comment

Patricia Cresswell

Date: 8/12/2017 9:39:00 AM

A vivid picture painted with your words. It puts me there and as a poet may heart reaches out to her. What whirlwind of emotions created by this scene. I will come back to read it and your other work because it touches me and that is talent.

Alan Ireland
Date: 8/12/2017 5:54:00 PM

Thanks, Pat. Actually, the "girl" was a young married woman with a couple of kids. She became quite well known, as a Japanese weekly magazine ran an article on her.

Alan Ireland

Date: 4/10/2017 3:23:00 AM

This poem was first published in Eclectica Magazine.