Prescott - Kiwi gal dreams of kissing him....

The Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry has been awarded to British or Commonwealth poets since 1934, with recommendations made by an eminent committee chaired by the Poet Laureate. This year the New Zealand born poetess Fleur Adcock has been awarded this prestigious Medal for her collection, Poems 1960-2000.

One wonders if her Majesty's interest in Fleur's verses were in any way prompted by the recorded remarks of the then leonine Deputy Prime Minister, Michael Heseltine Hansard Col 150 Dec 5th 1995

I was intrigued today to see that a young lady, Fleur Adcock, has written a little poem to the Deputy Leader (of the then Labour Party). It reads:


"In the dream I was kissing John Prescott-- or about to kiss him; our eyes had locked and we were leaning avidly forward, lips out-thrust, certain protuberances under our clothing brushing each other's fronts, when my mother saw us, and I woke up."

I must say, it was a merciful release for somebody.

(Fleur Adcock’s Poems 1960-2000, Bloodaxe Books)

Curiously antithetic to the sentiments expressed in Smokers for Celibacy, "We're opting out of one-night stands; we'd rather have a cigarette in our hands./ If it's a choice between two objects of cylindrical shape we go for the one that is seldom if ever guilty of rape."

Perhaps there are many women ( and not named Adcock) who would echo these sentiments after experiencing the dreamlike nature of intimacy with the (now) Deputy Prime Minister.