God Forbid They Hear Us Laughing: New and Selected Poems by Bobby Parker Eric Selland ‘The ecstatic language of Kathryn

‘The ecstatic language of Kathryn Simmonds’ poems moves shadow-cast creatures and sombre conditions into the sun until light radiates through and around them

Kristján Norge

cinematic scenes of kidnap and release

why and where of a timeless human act

God Forbid They Hear Us Laughing: New and Selected Poems by Bobby Parker Eric Selland ‘The ecstatic language of KathrynGod Forbid They Hear Us Laughing by Bobby Parker is a savage, tender selection that holds fatherhood and addiction, love and shame, sex and violence in the same shaking hands. These poems move through council estates, underpasses, chip shops, pubs, pharmacies, church tents and school corridors with a voice that is brazenly funny and abruptly devastating, switching from punchline to prayer in a breath. Parker's work is stocked with the lived textures