THINKING OF STRING

Written by Ian McMillan and commissioned to mark World Poetry Day 2016

 

When I think about democracy

I always think of string.

The way it ties the stubby pencil

To the fragile voting booth

 

In the school hall

Or the centre

Where the older people dance

On a Friday.

 

When I think about democracy

I always think of metal

That the ballot box is made of

Singing when you drop your vote in

 

In the centre

Or the school hall

Where the infants do their PE

On a Tuesday.

 

How long is a piece of democracy?

From the pencil to the paper

From the paper to the folding

From the folding to the dropping

In the resonating box.

 

When I think of democracy

I always think of light

Through the polling station window

Even if it’s raining

 

On the day when

People gather

To kiss a piece of paper

And post it to the future.

© Ian McMillan

 

Image courtesy of Microchip08 via Wikimedia Commons 

 

Biography:

 Image courtesy of Des Willie via www.ian-mcmillan.co.uk

Ian McMillan has been a poet, writer and performer for over thirty years. He currently presents The Verb on BBC Radio 3, writes weekly columns for The Yorkshire Post and The Barnsley Chronicle, and performs on his own, and with cartoonist Tony Husband and musician Luke Goss. He has written comedy for radio and plays for the stage, and worked extensively for Radios 1,2,3,4 and Five Live as well as for Yorkshire Television and BBC2’s Newsnight Review. Ian has also been Poet-in-Residence at Barnsley Football Club, Northern Spirit Trains and Humberside Police. You can follow him on Twitter @IMcMillan or find out more at his website  www.ian-mcmillan.co.uk