New Brooms

Roger McGough 1937 (Litherland)



New brooms sweep clean
Old brooms can't be fussed
New brooms are mad keen
Old brooms can't stand dust.

New brooms are young bulls
Can't wait to get their teeth
Into the kitchen carpet,
Up the stairs and underneath

The fridge and the cooker
Where grease stains won't dissolve,
With each problem their bristles
Stiffening with resolve.

Old brooms are allergic
To dust and doggy hair
Than raise a whirlwind in the lounge
They would much prefer

To rearrange the particles
With a reassuring sweep,
Then lean against the cupboard wall
For a long and dreamless sleep.

'Dust is the carpet of the contented'
The motto of ancient brooms
And of the folk who sit contentedly
Waiting, in darkening rooms.
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Submitted by RobertHaigh on June 21, 2020

Modified on March 27, 2023

37 sec read
91

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB XCXC DEFE XXXD FGXG XHXH
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 668
Words 120
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Roger McGough

Roger McGough was born in Liverpool and educated at St Mary's College and the University of Hull. He has been a writer for many years, and his numerous collections have established him as one of the most distinctive and powerful voices in contemporary poetry. more…

All Roger McGough poems | Roger McGough Books

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    "New Brooms" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/53800/new-brooms>.

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