I've been writing in Merthyr dialect/vernacular for over 30 years. I always say it's Marmite poetry....but I like Marmite!
   My original publisher Poetry Wales Press/ Seren didn't want to touch it, so John Barnie at 'Planet' published my first book 'Graffiti Narratives', a couple of stories and the rest poetry.
   The hand-written poem titles were done by pupils at the school where I taught at the time, Pen-y-dre.
  I was especially inspired by West Indian writers like Derek Walcott, black English poet James Berry , the songs of Bob Marley and one particular poem by David Hughes 'Swonzee Boy, See', which appeared in 'Planet' magazine, edited by Barnie.
   John and his wife Helle showed enormous faith in this work shunned by many and my latest book 'Sofa Surfin' is dedicated to them. Few mainstream journals took them though, ironically, my two biggest breakthroughs came with them .
   Derek Mahon in the 'New Statesman' published 'This Town' inspired by The Specials' hit 'Ghost Town' and then the Independent newspaper published 'Among the Debris' a fictional poem about a teacher who suffered flashbacks as a result of the Aberfan disaster.
   Both punk and two-tone music were undoubtedly important to me and the poem 'Nex Time' is prefaced by a quote from Belfast punk band Stiff Little Fingers : it's a young person raging against the police.
   After 'Graffiti Narratives' was out a while I met a poet friend in Merthyr and he told me that it was close to getting on the short-list for Wales Book of the Year.
   I was so busy then that I didn't realise he was a judge, let alone think about it coming anywhere.
   It was stocked in Smith's down town till a member of the very staid local Writers' Circle complained to the manager about the 'language' within and it was withdrawn instantly.
   In the 80s I had little time to perform from the book and , anyway, a lot less opportunities existed to do so, therefore I could understand when John Barnie was a little reluctant to publish my second book of dialect work 'Coulda Bin Summin'.
  However, he did so and all credit to him.
  When I moved to teach in Radyr the writer Meic Stephens joked that I'd start writing in a Radyr accent!
   However close the language was to the pupils I taught, it has developed to take in the town as a whole and inevitably, the older generation feature more prominently.
   My previous book 'Barkin!' had decidedly mixed reviews yet got short-listed for Wales Book of the Year, while the following one 'Shedding Paper Skin' ( in standard English) received great reviews and not a sniff of prizes.
   An English person responded to 'Sofa Surfin' by commenting that it would have limited appeal, yet West Indian and Scots are widely accepted and , ironically, the poems have so far been greeted far more enthusiastically in England than Wales ( with 'Planet' again the exception).
   I'm equally grateful to Myrddin ap Dafydd at Carreg Gwalch ( my publisher) for believing in this work. 
   As I've furthered my learning of Cymraeg, so I've come to understand dialect more clearly.
   The importance placed on sound with the use of mutations ( treigladau) also plays an important role in the dialect and its flow. Likewise, Welsh deploys double negatives as does the English dialect, as well as the frequent 'tags' at the end of sentences such as 'see', 'mun' and 'is it'.
   Occasionally I pick up on phrases which are direct translations , as in 'I lost the bus' ( meaning 'I missed the bus'), a straight translation from the Welsh ( 'colli'r bws').
   At the hub of the book are a series of poems about existing on benefits, many based on the experiences of a very good friend.
   I wrote all of these before the release of Ken Loach's film 'I, Daniel Blake', although there are many parallels.
   When I mentioned it to that friend he merely said , 'I am Daniel Blake!'
   There are also monologues by other characters : a man who chooses to disappear off the edge of the system when his wife gets a job and another who faces the daunting prospect of  an assessment for disability allowance.
  Even when I've witnessed events they are essentially fictions.
  The pigeon in 'A Pijin in Greggs' plays the lead role and went on to feature , as Wayne-O Pijin, in many of my blogs after friend and fellow poet Al Jones suggested it stood for election.
   Despite my less than convincing Merthyr accent I love reading these live and inhabiting the characters with their humour and energy.


   The following poem is based on a true incident in Merthyr centre the other week ......I only heard the police helicopters! 

                                  FAMOUS F DOIN NOTHIN

It woz a quiet Sunday
an ee wuz on is own
angover size of a stadium,
rubbin is nose 'gainst-a windows,
the star of-a CCTV.

Nowhere t go,
is missis didn wanna know -
'I've ad enough o yew,
an anyway, yew're angin!'
All night on-a Bow.

Ee musta fallen in-a doorway
set off some alarm,
coz things jest wen' crazee -
elicopters, cops an sirens ;
ee thought somebuddy ad a gun.  

Social media wen loopy -
story of terr'rists shootin
in Tescos, whool shop in lockdown,
gee-addies,  ambulance, fire engines
an ee'd c'llapsed by Poundland.

Tol is missis when ee got ome
'Google it...I'm fake news , see....
MAN IN MERTHYR ACTING SUSPICIOUSLY -
I woz famous f doin nothin.'
She sayd, 'Nothin's changed 'en!' 
       

    'All Skilled Up' has finished. The money's run out and it's such a shame.
   It was a scheme - jointly run by Cardiff City FC Foundation and Lit Wales - which had been in existence for over a decade.
   Alongside excellent poets like Mike Church and Patrick Jones I've been delighted to hold workshops at the stadium since it was built in 2009.
   I have changed and adapted my workshops over time, but one thing has remained pretty constant : the ol' rhyming game with players' names.
   In fact, manager Neil Warnock only signed Ward and Camp because those names have multiple rhyming options and I was getting increasingly desperate after Bamba and Hoilett !
   Fewer of the school children are genuine fans and only a small minority can name current players. Many are surprised to find that Whitts (Peter Whiittingham) has gone. 
   During my time doing these workshops we've shifted from a suite at the very top down to the Media and Conference rooms or , as one little girl would have it 'The Confidence Room'.
   Another asked if this was the 'Millennial Stadium' and I was approached by a boy who enquired 'Are you a billionaire?' ( I must've hitched my trousers up to the neck, Vinnie Tan-style).
   So , basically, Cardiff City are looking for a very rich benefactor so that this amazing scheme can continue.....I wonder where they could find one?
   'All Skilled Up' has immense benefits, especially given that so few writers seem to visit schools nowadays.
   It combines a series of visits by the Foundation ( linked very much to literacy) which culminate in a  single day at the stadium, consisting of a tour and poetry workshop.
   One improvement would be tours which take in the outside as well as inside.
   There's so much to be learnt from the statue of Fred Keenor, a player who survived the 1st World War and went on to captain our 1927 F.A. Cup-winning side. Then there's the public memorial garden and the trees planted in honour of various fans like the great Cardiff-born writer Dannie Abse, a dedicated supporter.
   The old Ninian Park gate is also a shrine to fans, as is the brick-walk with each brick  bearing a name ; although these have been cleaned I still couldn't locate mine!
   As a City fanatic it's a privilege for me to communicate my passion to young people from the city , Valleys and Bridgend areas.
   Too many of these support your Chelseas and Man Us, without having any connection to those very wealthy teams. I dream of the day when the capital and Valleys are awash with blue ( not Everton, by the way).
   Detractors of the work of Lit Wales should take into account schemes like this, though that organisation could do a lot more to publicise pupils' work on their website.
   The club themselves could also play a bigger role and it'd be a real boost if their poetry was featured regularly in match-day programmes , or read out on the p.a. before games.
   Many pupils will miss out on this vital and sometimes life-changing experience.
   In my very last workshop was one boy convinced that he'd never write a poem.
   'You will,' I assured him.
   And he did!
   Another pupil read it out to the class, though he helped her.
   It was short, imaginative, lacked structure, but was probably the first he'd ever written.
   This is a scheme which shouldn't be stopped, but extended.
   It should be introduced at other clubs like Newport, Wrexham and Merthyr, though Lit Wales need to help find finance from elsewhere.......Or do we all have to wait for Lottery grants which may never turn up?


                                   ALTERNATIVE CCFC  CV
​

I've stood on the North Bank, Vetch Field,
supporting the wrong team
( lucky we never scored!).

I've carried on striding
straight into a marauding Chelsea firm
saying 'I've lived in Belfast' to a fleeing friend.

I've had a whole pint
poured down the drain
by Devon cops, just because City.

I've met the leader of the Soul Crew
running away from trouble,
but urging us to join in.

I've reached the depths of despondency
after the play-off loss to Blackpool
and vowed not to eat oranges again.

I've been to games in the Dungeon
on wet, freezing Tuesdays
when the police outnumbered fans.

I've seen droogies in bowlers
carrying umbrellas on the Bob Bank ;
had an umbrella confiscated as a weapon.

I've witnessed Boro fans doing the Ayatollah
after we beat them in the FA Cup,
when Whitts scored with a rare right-footer.

I was there when Pompey took the Grange End
and our fans climbed the floodlights
as Man U threatened to invade.

I've broken my mobile and glasses
in goal celebration ecstasy .
Can I have that job in Security?