Peter Allard

“They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.

But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another's throats.

Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don't have any kids yourself.”
― Philip Larkin, High Windows

“When you have lost your inns, you may drown your empty selves. For you have lost the heart of England.”
― Hilaire Belloc

“Don't let the bastards get you down.”
― Alan Sillitoe

“Nature, red in tooth and claw.”
― Alfred Lord Tennyson, In Memoriam