Hidden Words: Collected Poems

by Spike Milligan

Spike Milligan's Hidden Words: Collected Poems is an emotional, surprising collection of tender(ish) moments.

The complete poems of Spike Milligan, Hidden Words consists of three individual volumes now collected together (SMALL DREAMS OF A SCORPION, OPEN HEART UNIVERSITY and THE MIRROR RUNNING) as well as a number of previously unpublished poems. The famously funny and rude poems are there, as well as a number of darker poems written during the war.

'Milligan is the Great God to all of us' John Cleese

'The Godfather of Alternative Comedy' Eddie Izzard

'That absolutely glorious way of looking at things differently. A great man' Stephen Fry

Spike Milligan was one of the greatest and most influential comedians of the twentieth century. Born in India in 1918, he served in the Royal Artillery during WWII in North Africa and Italy. At the end of the war, he forged a career as a jazz musician, sketch-show writer and performer, before joining forces with Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe to form the legendary Goon Show. Until his death in 2002, he had success as on stage and screen and as the author of over eighty books of fiction, memoir, poetry, plays, cartoons and children's stories.

Genres: Poetry

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Terence Alan Patrick Seán Milligan, known as Spike, was a comedian, writer and musician. He was of Irish descent, but spent most of his childhood in India and lived most of his later life in England, moving to Australia after retirement. He is famous for his work in The Goon Show, children's poetry and a series of comical autobiographical novels about his experiences serving in the British Army in WWII. Spike Milligan suffered from bipolar disorder, which led to depression and frequent breakdowns, but he will be remembered as a comic genius. His tombstone reads 'I told you I was ill' in Gaelic.

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poems for adults just weren’t Spike’s thing. His themes, driven as remorselessly as slaves beneath the lash, are lost time and mental illness. There is one stand-out poem, however, and it merits quoting in full:

Like it's coming through a dream
Throwing pebbles in a stream
I just stood with Jane my daughter
Throwing pebbles in the water.
I never knew that I could find
Such tranquillity of mind
Seeming to find such joy
In a simple childish ploy.
Long after I reach December
I hope that Jane will still remember
When that day as through a dream
We threw pebbles in a stream.

[James Tingle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just looked this up on here and was surprised to see it only had five reviews and so thought I'd give it an extra one as it's a good little book. I think this was the first poetry volume that I read cover to cover, years ago now and having a quick look through it, I immediately remember why I liked it when first reading the collection. Spike Milligan is best known for his anarchic and surreal humour, but in this book, along with good doses of wry comedy, you come across genuinely touching poems, full of regret and sorrow and tinged with doses of depression at times. He suffered a lot with bi-polar through his life and you get glimpses of his dark times as you move through the book and some of the best poems here are the bleakest. There are lighter, funny ones as well though and breezy little ditties along the way, but I definitely got the most out of the melancholic and reflective pieces...
The great thing about this book is that for anyone wanting to explore poetry for the first time, most of the poems are nice and short and not too hard to comprehend and yet have plenty of weight behind them and are mainly high in quality...the same can be said for W.H. Auden and Philip Larkin, another couple of accessible poets- sometimes I wish more poetry was like this to be honest!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feelings

There must be a wound!
No one can be this hurt
and not bleed.

How could she injure me so?
No marks
No bruise

Worse!
People say 'My, you're looking well'
.....God help me!
She's mummified me -
ALIVE!



Letters

I was thinking of letters,
We all have a lot in our life
A few good - a few sad
But mostly run of the mill-
I suppose that's my fault
For writing to run of the mill people.
I've never had a letter
I really wanted
It might come one day
But then, it will be just too late,
And that's when I don't want it.

[MJ Nicholls · Rating 5 out of 5]

These poems are moving and silly but always deadly serious. Spike Milligan is at his poetic best in the short form, thus:


Dreams I

Dripping dreams
of life away
Dreaming drips
night and day
Do you hear the
waters lap?
How many dreams
left in the tap?

Untitled

Nothing changes
Nothing does
It ends up like
It always was
It always will
Because, because

[Peter Longden · Rating 5 out of 5]

The genius of Milligan summed up in two lines of poetry: in ‘ME’, he asks ‘a careless God ‘why He made me so imperfect’, to be told ‘My chisels were blunt’. I will say’Then why did you make so many of me’.
‘Hidden Words’ is a combination of other shorter collections: Dreams of a Small Scorpion, Open Heart University and Mirror Running, along with some additional unpublished poems which, together, make a serious work by his standards, telling of heartache, lost love, his children, comrades in the war and depression; but there is still the smattering of irrepressible humour that Spike is famous for.
In short bursts of poetic contemplation Spike tells us of his loves, his childhood dog, his darker thoughts in honest, stark writings that are enlightening, sometimes refreshing, at others heartbreaking. I grew up with listening to Spike in the Goons, watched the Q series and have read countless of his books and poetry, all of which tells me how much of an influence he was on comedy and opening peoples eyes to mental health.
A legend in his own lunchtime - marvellous to find new books to remind me of that - this one I recently found in an Oxfam bookshop in Micklegate in York.

[N.P. Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

For someone who revelled in the idea of being remembered as a clown, Spike Milligan was also a pioneer of mental health awareness. He often spoke openly and honestly about his depression and (before the term existed) PTSD. Best known for his comedy and children's poems, this collection demonstrates his wit and silliness alongside touching works about family and honest accounts of his struggles. Milligan's poetry is fun and accessible, but often addresses some serious and underrepresented issues. This is a seriously underrated poetry book, which a lot more people would undoubtedly enjoy reading.

[Amanda Cowles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I have read this book from cover to cover I will dip into it throughout my life. A darker collection than perhaps I needed right now 😁 but all very beautiful nonetheless.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting!!

[Christine Pilcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad, funny and brilliant.

[Gabby Proice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will never complain about more Milligan poetry

[Elliott James Fraser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book goes with me on every holiday.
My favourite poem Lo Speccio is in this book. It's worth the entrance fee for that alone.
Spike might be better know for his silly verses and children's books however this is a masterpiece with such depth.
O Spike, Who broke your heart?

[Ronan Doyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

By turns silly and sappy, Milligan's collection suffers somewhat from the sense that many of these are frivolous distractions dashed off in a moment of boredom, which isn't to say they aren't entertaining. They're buffer though between the few, focused mostly on mortality or mental health, that suddenly catch the mind's eye in the midst of all this—got the sense a tighter volume could make for a much more satisfying book.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insight into the man? Only the people who knew him can answer that I guess but having grown up with the Q series of tv shows and listening to old recordings of the Goons it was amazing to see a totally different, considered and emotional side of Spike Milligan. Still occasionally dip in and read one when I notice it on my bookshelf.

[Kaci Maleya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have rarely read a poem or story of Spikes that i didn't like. Some of these poems will break your heart.

[Kenneth Lambie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good old Spike, never lets you down. Funny, sad, very personal. A true fearless poet and funnyman.