(Poem No.37 of my favourite short poems)

‘Fish & Chip Shop’ … Pen and Wash – WHB 2017
VINEGAR
Sometimes
I feel like a priest
In a fish and chip queue
Quietly thinking
As the vinegar runs through
How nice it would be
To buy supper for two
By Roger McGough
[ From: Penguin Modern Poets 10 – Henri; McGough; Patten ]
This gentle compact verse catches, in just a few phrases, some of the emotion of a humdrum everyday activity and wistfully points to the suppressed yearnings of both a personal and a monastic life.
Roger McGough (1937 – ) is an English poet, broadcaster, playwright, and children’s author . He presents the BBC Radio 4 programme ‘Poetry Please’. He is one of the leading members of the group which have become known as The Liverpool Poets’.
nice one Roland. My experience with fish and chips was a small fish shop in Auckland, and first time I had vinegar on chips!! Lovely memory.
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Thanks for commenting, Gina.
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Thank you Roland, now a favourite of mine also. Inspiring, concise, deep and home grown, rivals any far eastern style for beauty, emotion and the ability to provoke thought but in a more accessible way.
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Yes. You can’t get much more home-grown than fish and chips. Thanks for your comment, Nigel.
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Love the painting.
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Thank you, Amanda.
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I really like this simple poem. – wistful as you say. The sketch captures those traditional chippies too!
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Yes. There’s a lot in those few simple words, Maggie.
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Love the drawing and love Roger McGough. Reminded me that I haven’t read his poetry for years – thank you for the prompt
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I thank you for your appreciative comment, Nic.
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