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Roger's adaptation of Moliere's The Hypochondriac careers round the country with English Touring Theatre. Take hankies and tomatoes.

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Roger McGough, ‘a trickster you can trust’, is one of Britain’s best-loved poets for both adults & children.


Photo, Leila Romaya & Paul McCann

He was awarded his O.B.E. for services to poetry in 1997 and more recently a C.B.E. He was recently honoured with the Freedom of the City of Liverpool.

His latest poetry volume is That Awkward Age (Penguin) and, for children, All The Best , The Bees’ Knees and now Slapstick (all Puffin). Live concert cd Lively available here.

His autobiography Said And Done (Century) explores overnight fame with Lily The Pink, The Scaffold and Yellow Submarine which he helped write for the Beatles.

'the patron saint of poetry' Carol Ann Duffy
‘He is a true original and more than one generation would be much the poorer without him’ The Times
'Liverpool's own Poet Laureate' Daily Post

  
  
  

PAY-BACK TIME

O Lord, let me be a burden on my children
For long they've been a burden upon me.
May they fetch and carry, clean and scrub
And do so cheerfully.

Let them take it in turns at putting me up
Nice sunny rooms at the top of the stairs
With a walk-in bath and lift installed
At great expense.....Theirs.

Insurance against the body-blows of time
Isn't that what having children's all about?
To bring them up knowing that they owe you
And can't contract out?

What is money for but to spend on their schooling?
Designer clothes, mindless hobbies, usual stuff.
Then as soon as they're earning, off they go
Well, enough's enough.

It's been a blessing watching them develop
The parental pride we felt as each one grew.
But Lord, let me be a burden on my children
And on my children's children too.

© Roger McGough Selected Poems Penguin, Feb'06

Permission to reproduce in any format must be secured from PFD. http://www.pfd.co.uk/books/permissions_requests.shtml 

  
Bookings / info. contact: Adrian Mealing tel/fax:  +44 (0) 1684 540366  web: www.uktouring.org.uk

Press contact: Jim Howden tel: +44 (0)1568 620515   e-mail: jim@uktouring.org.uk

  
  
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