First of all, I’d like to say how honoured I am that my poem was chosen for the GCSE syllabus. It really is most humbling. Here are some things I, The Poet, think you, the student, should know.
The poem in question might be called ‘Lovely Flowers in Springtime’, but it is actually about hippopotamuses. There may be no reference at all to hippopatamuses in the poem, but it’s all about what is left unsaid.
The form of the poem, namely its ABAB rhyme scheme, represents the bubbling sound that hippopotamuses make when they wallow in the mud – sort of, like, abababab.
The poem was written on a late night train on the way back from Great Yarmouth. I, The Poet, typed it out on an old Nokia and texted it to myself, as I didn’t have my notebook with me, or any money for a decent phone.
I, The Poet, am 54 years old and live with a cat called Marjorie.
I, The Poet, also enjoy travelling, French cinema, pub lunches, and I have a Good Sense of Humour.
If you tip the poem on its side, you will see some lines are taller than others, which represents the buildings outside the window by which I, The Poet, sit and wait for the GCSE syllabus royalties to pour in.
There is no enjambment in the poem, which represents the fact that hippopotamuses don’t like falling off the edge of things.
I, The Poet, don’t even like flowers. In fact, I often stamp on them. Especially in springtime.
You have half an hour to remember all this and answer your question.
Good luck!
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