On the Eve of the Queerish Bookshop

Tomorrow, a friend of mine will open her independent bookshop to the public. I'm excited about this for three reasons: 1) independent bookshops are the last bastions of accessible thinking that isn't making money for a major international corporation, 2) Megan's put so much time and effort into this project that it's gonna be a mini-revolution for my home town, and 3) I've got a compulsive tendency to buy cool-looking books I haven't got time to read, and I can't wait to add some of these queer books to the collection.

On the Eve of the Queerish Bookshop

Ahm from Darlo mate.

An' ahm also from books -

My self's been plucked from every page

I've ever read. And what luck

To live and read in Darlo,

Home of Quakers, trains and parmos,

On the eve of something new;

A little hub of lit and love

By the side of something blue.

A bright pink bookshop stocked enough

With queer and lefty stuff

To push this town to new terrain,

To spark new love and rage.

When times get tough, the tough

Get reading. Enough is enough;

I'm pleading, get to this new place,

And, by showing your face,

Ensure it sticks around

For long enough to queerify

This Tory-voting town.

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