A writer or, at least a poet, is always being asked by people who should know better: “Whom do you write for ?” – W.H. Auden
We do it
` For that broken child,
Eyes still brimming reflected pain,
We do it
For all the mad ones
And for those who are caged and sane,
We do it
To unravel the nightmares
And the laughter that lullabies pain,
We do it
For all the first times
Words made our pulses beat,
We do it
For desperate drunkards
Trawling for love through the streets,
We do it
For the flotsam
Washed up on the shore,
We do it
For the clumsy
And the over chatty bore,
We do it
To leave a hand print
On the dark cave wall,
We do it
Because we’re high-wire dancers
Always about to fall…
Kevin McCann
Illustration Nick Victor