Open Mic Winner: Benny-Jo Zahl

Born with a pint of joey holts bitter firmly in hand, Benny-Jo Zahl has been making a prat of himself in public for as long as he (or anyone else) cares to remember. Stumbling into the Manchester poetry scene he found a 2nd home and began to put directionless scribblings to good use. Several years later he finally gets good at it. Blending the rhythms of his musical influences, surreal humour and a unique logic-devoid way of looking at the world around him Benny-jo Zahl is now one third of the Working Verse collective, whose debut poetry show was staged at The Lowry on January 7th 2012. Their second show is also at the Lowry show on August 4th. 

bennythepoet.co.uk

M28

Its a cul-de-sac

you can ride your bike
with no fuss then
moving day came and went
tea crates
just big enuff
to fit a 7yr old in

No5 ely close
2nd left off shawbrook
to my eyes a fortress
of Zahl, in truth
a dorma dungalow

The proud brown beams
of the portculis portch
since painted white
to match the p.v.c.
of the newly installed
dinning room windows
but
my memories remain untouched

Stabled in the driveway
my mothers chariot
i discovered motorhead
in the back of that
battered blue metro
stolen 3 times
but always turned up
(does burnt out count?)

Dads white van
suffered a similar fate
buried face first
in the finest brick wall
little hulton had to offer,
i remember playing dinosaurs
and other carnivores
on the passenger seat of that van
school runs on bicycles
aren't quite as fun as
racing dad down medway rd
in the direction of home

The neighbour to my right
spencer & his good lady,
obsessed with motor guzi
computer games & ozzy osbourne
when he left i mourned 'cos
his replacements were
boring as hell!

To my left
a building that housed
the quietest & loudest
labradors on this earth
but the annoyance was worth it
every second
5yrs my senior
and unbelievaby out of my league
emma
the subject of many a restless dream
at No5 ely close
2nd left off shawbrook