Mick Jenkinson

Biography

Mick is a poet, songwriter, musician, and freelance arts practitioner from Doncaster. He runs Well Spoken, a monthly poetry evening at Doncaster Brewery, and delivers songwriting and poetry workshops for community arts projects. His first full poetry collection, Iron Harvest, was published by Cyberwit in December 2024, and his latest album The Wheel Keeps on Turning was released in Jan 2024.

Sample 1

Halki From this terrace, right now, you can see everything you’ll ever need to see. Across the bay the lights of the harbour lie quiet and still in this warm, reassuring night. Constellations wider, deeper, clearer, in a blue-black sky that wraps us tight. From this terrace, right now, you can feel the lapping of the waves across millennia. Pelasgi, Kares, Durians, and Phoenicians through to Turk, Italian and Greek have all taken shelter here. Then there’s you with your golden hair tumbling as you come, pouring Metaxa and drawing your chair close, taking my arm to share the vigil. I was reading Cavafy before you insisted we turn off the terrace lights: Try, if possible, not to waste your life although it might not work out as you planned.

Sample 2

Tom’s territory Tom was a poacher; things were hard for country people. Farm work, when you could get it did not pay a deal. Tom inherited the tricks; generations of forebears who took the products of the country as their right: to poach was not to steal. Tom can be found with his lamp, his snares and flams walking stealthily that copse at the top of the rise. Tom listens to the wind; there’s a good pegger getting up. Forgoing the pheasant for tonight the coneys will be the prize. Tom watches his step and you should too if you should dare to venture there, take care not to become the quarry. Tom might mistake you for the keeper or the village bobby. Tread warily in the gloam, my friend for this is Tom’s territory.

All poems are copyright of the originating author. Permission must be obtained before using or performing others' poems.