I have doubts on sprouts

But peas they please

And parsnips give me pleasure

But of all the veg

I give this pledge

Potatoes are my treasure;

Chipped or baked

Or mashed or boiled

Tossed in a pan when gently oiled

The common spud is really great

A must on every dinner plate.



Cometh the meal, cometh the hour

Some folk favour the cauliflower

Parsnip, turnip, marrow, swede

All have their place when we need to feed

But whilst all have their turn

And some need to wait

The veggie that's certain on every plate

Watering the mouth, exciting taste buds

The humble, the versatile, ubiquitous spuds.



They may not be pretty

They may have no sheen

No carroty orange, no broccoli green

No cabbagey colours of reds, greens or whites

No beetrooty purple - all fanciful sights

But for full satisfaction

For all-round delight

For full English breakfasts or suppers at night

For buffets or banquets

Fast food or set lunch

The potato is king

The best of the bunch.



© by Nick Balmforth.

Used with the author’s permission.



Nick Balmforth is a semi-retired safety inspector of children's indoor play centres. His primary published work has been in the field of safety standardization for the British and European indoor play industry and he was awarded an MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for his work in 2012. Nick is also a successful voice-over artist and, in addition to poetry, enjoys jazz. He lives in Staffordshire, England.

Post New Comment:

fer:

This poem makes me wish I was still a classroom teacher so I could share this delightful poem with my students!

Posted 08/21/2016 10:01 AM Mary Lou Taylor:

Great fun.

Posted 08/19/2016 07:28 PM Larry Schug:

As someone that spent a number of years working on a potato farm, I appreciate this poem very much, though there were times we said some uncomplimentary things about those tubers, especially when loading a couple semi-truck loads of hundred pound bags every day for a few weeks, but we always had spud for lunch in all the many forms they could be prepared. Nice poem!

Posted 08/19/2016 07:15 PM Caro70:

Fun, fun, fun!

Posted 08/19/2016 09:58 AM Lori Levy:

Like the humor in this poem!

Posted 08/19/2016 09:36 AM Jancan:

Nick, I love this well-written, enter- taining poem! Janice

Posted 08/19/2016 08:12 AM rhonasheridan:

What a wonderful poem Nick! As full of delight as the vegetables you depict. Especially - of course - the spud

Posted 08/19/2016 07:55 AM Sarah Russell:

When we lived in England, I loved the "Jacket Potato" stands on the streets of Oxford. I can still taste those potatoes with gobs of butter and Branson's Pickle. Yum!!

Posted 08/19/2016 07:30 AM Newf:

Amen to that. Love spuds and love the poem. Thanks Jayne and Nick. Looking forward to another baby poem tomorrow.

Posted 08/19/2016 05:28 AM





