Hello and welcome to series five of Frank Skinner's poetry podcast.

Today I want to talk about a collection of poetry, a book that I have here in my hand,

which is of immense significance to me personally.

I've spoken before on the podcast about some of my early poetry experiences,

reading Lawrence, Furland Getty's poem in school assembly and all that,

but this is a collection of poetry in which I, for the first time I would say in poetry,

I found myself and I always think that you look for some of yourself in a poem,

some connection between you and the speaker. And I'm going to tell you what it is.

I'm not trying to do a cliffhanger on this. This is a book called The Mercy Sound.

It's part of a series which I've celebrated before on this podcast, Penguin Modern Poets.

And this was published in 1967, though for me I would say I probably found it in 71.

I actually bought it with my own money at age 14, the first poetry book I think I ever bought

in my life. And as I say, there was so much of my own life, there's fish and chip shops and

bus rides and the beetles and comic books, things that all were very much part of my universe.

And things that would become important to me like the beet poets and paintings and T.S.

And well, sex. So it's three poets, all Liverpool poets, Adrian Henry, Roger McGoth and Brian

Patton. And they are gathered together in this collection, The Mercy Sound. And honestly,

it would not be too much to say that this book changed my life. I didn't think poetry could be

like this. And I have to say I didn't read this book for a long time. I've only recently picked

it up again because I felt, I really felt an emotional and moral urge to tell you about it. I was

worried like when you go back to anything that meant a lot to you a long time ago that it might

not work for me anymore. And I would have found that a bit painful. I remember the second time I

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