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Advice for the Living by Lemn Sissay

'Advice for the Living' is a shape poem where the poet, Lemn Sissay, plays around with the word 'dead' and other related words. As you read, pay attention to how the shape of the poem heightens the message of the poem.

Pre-reading:

Discuss: What is your first impression when you see the poem and read the title? What do you think this poem is about?

A poem called 'Advice for the Living' written by Lemn Sessay. The poem is shaped like a coffin, emphasising the message of the poem. Photo.
Image: Lemn Sissay / Restricted right of use
Advice for the Living by Lemn Sissay, plain text

Dead fast this.
Everyone's dying to arrive,
Living for deadlines, trying to
Stay straight as a die. They'll get
There, dead or alive because they're
Dead set, and they do arrive in shores
Of dead heats, deat beats at dead ends
Dead messed up like dead stock. The living
Dead flogging dead horses in the dead of
Night. Dead right dead lost dead right.
Every now and again we stop dead
In our tracks, dead still 'cause it's
Dead hard, like a dead weight's
Dropped on the head ... wouldn't
You die for a little piece, die for
A breath of hope? Dead right,
I would. In the dead centre of
All this deadlocking, dread
Locked. Words, dead ahead.
They read: Life is not worth
living if there's no one that you
would die for. Dead right.

Copyright © Lemn Sissay.
Canongate Books

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