A TONIC FOR OUR TIMES!
đ Whatâs Inside
This six-part collection explores themes both personal and political:
Ties of the Heart: Reflections on mental health, mortality, and enduring friendship,
with tributes to Benjamin Zephaniah, John Martyn, E.P. Thompson, Mary Shelley,
and Websterâs own father.
Lift-Offs: Poems inspired by travel, with places and situations shared
and deeper issues considered.
Words on the Woke: Satirical, penetrating takes on identity politics,
including a poetic call for Keir Starmer to apologise to Rosie Duffield.
No Such Thing as Infidel: A nuanced look at tensions between
Islamic and Western values, drawing on the author's travels in Muslim-majority
countries and suggesting paths toward mutual understanding.
Stanzas on Ukraine: Poetic solidarity with Ukraine, culminating in Ukraine Dreaminâ,
a vision of coexistence through the eyes of a Russian dissenter.
Fables and Fantasies: Imaginative tales where Hitler is spooked by a premonition
of The Beatles' Yellow Submarine, and Lord Byron shares reflections with Joe Biden
on Afghanistan and the Greek War of Independence.
Globalisation and the Self: Meditative verses on how global forces
shape personal lives.
âď¸ Why It Matters
John Websterâs poems âtell it like it isâ â candid yet compassionate,
provocative yet hopeful. Drawing on his background as a songwriter,
his verse carries the rhythms of English balladry
and the emotional punch of lived experience.
Whether youâre drawn to cultural commentary, poetic storytelling,
or reflections on music and memory, The Rough, the Smooth and the Quirky
is a literary tonic for turbulent times â inviting readers to laugh, think,
and feel their way through our rapidly-moving era.
Available now on Amazon here
and from bookshops quoting ISBN 978-1-0683328-6-9
Paperback ÂŁ9.99, e-book ÂŁ3.99
Contents
TIES OF THE HEART
A Gallant Ship, For a Godson, For Benjamin,
The Major, his brother, and his never lived-with lover,
John Martyn encountered, Is There a Sense?, Mary and the Legacy, For Mark
LIFT-OFFS
The Plane was Late, From the Skies, For Jenny and Chris, en route to Nice,
The Dying Glacier, Thank You, Fog the Second, Stonehaven,
Aberdeen: Byronâs Broad Street Boyhood, âBeatles Ashramâ, Rishikesh,
Chennai: âWhen I Checked in for Dental Healthâ, Somewhere in this City,
When There is an Onion Shortage, The Weightiest Places I Have Been,
âLerici is Always Charmingâ, Thank you â To Who?
WORDS ON THE WOKE
Itâs a Woke World â Hurray!, Apropos âAppropriationâ,
There Was a Time Our Own Sir Keir, On the Return of Donald Trump,
Black Lives Matter (said Lord Bentinck)
Donât Think Black, Donât Think White,
And On the Mighty Orientalists
NO SUCH THING AS INFIDEL
If Stratford Could Speak, The Words Were Carefully Chosen,
Lebanese Girl Story, On Shafilea Ahmed, An Incident in Peshawar,
These Baklava On My Plate (I Sing of Bad Theology), A Praise Song
STANZAS ON UKRAINE
From 1968 to 2022âŚ, Law No More, What Gives You the Right?,
Heâs Just a Common Thief, Ukraine Dreaminâ, âŚand On To 2025
A BYRONIC FABLE, In which Lord Byron and Joe Biden
reflect on Afghanistan and Greece
A BEATLES FABLE, In which Hitler has a nightmare
about a Yellow Submarine
FORWARD THINKING
The Rise of Diasporic Lives,
For Those Unborn, A Maxim: All I Can Do
NOTES, REFERENCES AND PHOTOGRAPHS