Alternative Anthem by John Agard

I am currently undertaking an online short poetry course with the Oxford University and to aid us in thinking about the question of what is poetry? We were asked to look up poetry from a couple sources of online Poetry websites. This is where I cam across this gem of a poem. Alternative Anthem by John Agard didn’t just explain and define Britain as a nation of Tea drinkers but within my own home. Earlier this year my family suffered a shock loss, my father in law. Such a notorious tea drinker that honestly I am surprised Tea didn’t run out of stock in the local supermarket with how often he would create a pot of his swampy tea. I felt the need to share the poem with my husband (who really isn’t a fan of poetry except mine he says), what I didn’t realise what reaction it would bring , his eyes welled up and then mine, because it’s a character trait he has gained from his father. Bad news ? A cup of tea will sort that. Stressed? A cup of tea will sort that. Luckily his tea making skills are better than his dad’s but for a moment we were reminded of the simple things we miss about his dad through the few simple words in such a basic short poem. So as we sat here with our cups of tea and I read that poem to him, we were both taken to a time when his dad was alive. This is a perfect example of what I strongly believe about poetry ; poetry does not need to be complicated, but with the right words at the right time, they have power to do incredible things.

Read the poem here.