Jennifer Maiden woke up in The Lodge
during National Poetry Week.
The PM’s popularity ratings had dipped
to an all-time low and her media machine
had advised her to chat up some poets
in a desperate attempt to regain some ground
from Tony.
	Rambling poetry readings
by superannuated academics drinking plonk
from plastic cups was not Julia’s scene
so she’d invited the Maiden to stay
at The Lodge.
	The PM’s minders had given her
a copy of JM’s book Friendly Fire.
Julia couldn’t see much resemblance to poetry
in the untidy verse but she didn’t have to read
between the lines to get the poet’s drift
on politics.
	The PM was worried
that Jennifer would quiz her about Kevin
Hillary Iraq unauthorised maritime arrivals
and what Julia saw in Tim (apart from a daily
blow-dry) and that her answers would surface
in the poet’s next book. So the PM turned on the TV
to avoid a Q&A.
	Julia didn’t know much
about poetry but she knew that a poet’s fire
was hardly ever friendly.