One of the princely dregs
lies in waiting, (lying in state),
to become a despised King.
Wait in line leech like.
Bide the time in ceremony,
to fill an empty space.
With a ‘Prime Monster’ elected by a
tiny rump of Tory vermin. Feeling
nothing for the foodbank poor.
Lies! The currency of Capital – too
absorbed to see small nations
clawing free of the Butcher’s Apron.
Weather vane warning –
storms to come;
through workplace and community.
Let lightning strike
and thunder roar –
Des Mannay
About me – “Focused on hard-hitting social issues… poems which made a statement”’ (Sabotage Reviews). “One can almost hear the words thumping aloud on the page. One can only imagine the rapturous response of an audience listening” (Menna Elfyn) Des Mannay is a Welsh disabled writer of colour. His first poetry collection, “Sod ’em – and tomorrow” is published by Waterloo Press. He is co-editor of The Angry Manifesto poetry journal, a judge in the Vailiant Scribe poetry competition (USA), and the winner of the ‘rethinkyourmind’ poetry competition (2015), and LIT-UP poetry competition (2018). Placed 2nd and highly commended in the Disability Arts Cymru poetry Competition (2015). ‘Gold Award’ winner in the Creative Futures Literary Awards (2015), Madder Than We Look poetry competition (2016), shortlisted for the erbacce-prize for poetry (2015, and 2016 and 2019), Welsh Poetry Competition (2015), The John Tripp and Idris Davies poetry competition; part of Rhymney Valley Literature and Arts Festival 2016, and the Disability Arts Cymru poetry Competition (2016)
Des has performed at numerous venues, including the ‘Unity’ Festival, ‘Maindee’ Festival, ‘Hub’ Festival, ‘Stoke Newington Literature Festival’, KAYA Festival of World Music & Arts, Merthyr Rising, The Seed Festival, Walls:Muriau – Welsh mental health arts festival, Green Gathering, Leeds Poetry Festival,Tranas at the fringe, Sweden, Abergavenny Writing Festival, and Gwen Gwen Festival. He has poems published in ‘I Am Not A Silent Poet’ online journal, ‘The Angry Manifesto’, ‘Proletarian Poetry’, ‘Yellow Chair Review’, ‘Indiana Voice Journal’, ‘Stand Up And Spit’, ‘Red Poets’, ‘The Scum Gentry’ ‘The Round Up’, ‘Poetry24’, ‘Winning Writers’, ‘International Times’, ‘Erbacce Journal’, ‘Pendemic’, ‘Valiant Scribe’, ‘Dwelling During the pandemic. An Ohio Poetry Project 2021, and work in 36 poetry anthologies. Des is on facebook as “The stuff wot I wrote’ Des Mannay – hooligan Poet” and Twitter as @hooliganpoet