The sun only slowly burns off the morning fog;
a mind is clearing.
I’ve been cursing the cold and remind
myself of the time of year.
‘Literacy has stalled’. The radio spits out
this throw-away phrase.
It gets stuck in my craw, as if
this country hadn’t already been thrown
to the dogs, its mangled corpse
not tossed around for years, plaything
of the Whitehall hounds
and their circling vultures, both
rather good at feigning that they care.
‘Literacy has stalled’. As if it ever really
got going, it’s been a hidden truth
for decades; those miraculous exam
successes where league table is king. Never
common sense, not discipline and
certainly never values. And here’s
carte blanche to dress it all up; new curriculums
and shining academies: Zero times zero
equals zero.
Literacy has stalled: so tell me something
new! Nearly everything learned I’ve taught
myself, it’s a case of needing to but
I’ve yet to train my eye to spot who’s
behind the tail that wags the
elephant in the room
poem © copyright Dave Barker 2012
Ciscography 
You gave me a great hiccup of a chuckle with your last line! I’m going to pass this over to DailyGadfly who will surely enjoy it as well!
https://hughcurtler.wordpress.com/
Z
LikeLike
Oh, thank you!!!
LikeLike
This is so serious and true, yet it’s funny as well.
LikeLike
Thank you!!!
LikeLike
I don’t know how universal this condition is, but we could take your words and apply them directly to what is true for the U.S.–sadly true. I love the ending as well…the last verse is perfect!
LikeLike
I’ve been reading some stuff by Native Americans which has made me very aware of the different kinds of literacy that exist in the world. There is literacy of the land, of life, which to those living on the land, has a greater value than literacy of words which are, in fact, so ephemeral. Interesting ideas to think about.
LikeLike
Thank you!!!
LikeLike