The Web, Copyright and Poetry

The web and copyright is certainly a vexed issue. Leading British poet Wendy Cope explains her position in "You like my poems? So pay for them" (Guardian, December 2007): do read that first. This is my response.

The Web and Wendy

Oh blimey Wendy, come on girl,
Haven't you watched the web unfurl
Untold wealth right left and centre
For anyone ready to click on enter?

Don't waste time with the IP lawyer
It's no good for you and it's sure to annoy you
The guys at Faber are a bit old hat,
Maybe your agent doesn't know where it's at.
Royalties from books are all very well
But it's not the only thing you can sell.

Websites websites everywhere wanting witty words
Poetry for playtime poetry for nerds
Websites websites everywhere, don't you be a dope
Poems lithe and charming, we know you can cope.

Adam Kilgarriff
March 2008