Your Hillsborough Poems
YOUR HILLSBOROUGH POEMS 2000-2021 – Our selection of poems published on the new site since 2015 and the original/old Football Poets website (2000-2015) now preserved/archived by the British Library. They recall and remember the lives of those original 96 (now 97) souls we lost. The tragic Hillsborough disaster occurred during the semi-final FA Cup tie : Liverpool v Nottingham Forest on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield. The crush resulted in the deaths of 96 people, with a total of 766 other persons being injured. All of them were Liverpool fans RIP. New poems welcome. Crispin
2023
16 Apr Hillsborough – it must never happen again joe morris
16 Apr Yesterday…What I Saw Mike Bartram
15 Apr 34 Years On Mike Bartram
2022
18 Apr Darkness Descending Mike Bartram
2020
09 Mar Angels Only Whisper Mike Bartram
2019 ~30th Anniversary ~ Hillsborough 15 April 1989,
13 Aug For Paul Carlile Mike Bartram
23 Apr 97 souls, NYC Clik The Mouse
15 Apr 30 Years Ago ~ 15.4.89-15.4.19 Crispin Thomas
15 Apr April 15th 1989 sharon wilkie-jones
2018
29 Jun Hillsborough – sharon wilkie-jones
2017
25 Jun Justice For The 95? – Mike Bartram
28 Jun Snared Rats – Mike Bartram
15 Apr ‘Hillsborough Law’ – Mike Bartram
02 Dec Sometimes…- Mike Bartram
2016
27 Apr Justice? – Richard Tipping
16 Apr 96 White Doves – Mike Bartram
23 Feb Hillsborough – Justice for the 96 – Nik Pearce
2015
19 Dec Christmas 2015 Mike Bartram
13 Dec A Christmas Prayer Mike Bartram
21 Oct April 15th 1989 Eddie Cooney
09 Oct ‘Stand on Tiptoe’ Mike Bartram
12 Oct Ourselves Alone Mike Bartram
31 Aug My Friends They Say Mike Bartram
29 Aug The Eternal Flame Mike Bartram
27 Aug No Barrier Mike Bartram
14 Aug The Day You Never Came Home Mike Bartram
20 Jul Those Photographs Mike Bartram
16 July Andy Burnham Mike Bartram
18 Jun Sarah and Vicki Mike Bartram
21 May ‘Move Back Mike Bartram
13 May Katy Jones Mike Bartram
24 Apr The Swell Mike Bartram
20 Apr My Mate Rob at Hillsborough Crispin Thomas
17 Apr The Never Forgotten Few Mike Bartram
15 Apr Hillsborough Emdad Rahman
15 Apr The Ringing Bells Of Heaven Mike Bartram
15 Apr Hillsborough, 26 years later Clik the mouse
14 Apr Taunt Us No More Mike Bartram
13 Apr Pieces Mike Bartram
13 Apr That Was The Day Mike Bartram
13 Apr Hillsborough (26 Years Ago Today) Mike Bartram
07 Mar Darkness Descending Mike Bartram
06 Jan My Liverpool Home Mike Bartram
2014
16 Dec The 25th Christmas Mike Bartram
03 Oct A Disappearing Trick Mike Bartram
19 Sep The Winter Call Mike Bartram
12 Jun Posties and The Sun Mike Bartram
20 May The Decaying Picture of Justice Mike Bartram
11 May Tarnished Crown Mike Bartram
16 Apr “Forgive Me” Dulwich Poet
12 Apr Forget-me-not Alan McKean
11 Apr Animals ~ for the people of Liverpool Ralph Dartford
06 Feb Anne Williams Haiku Emdad Rahman
05 Jan This Limbo State Mike Bartram
2013
31 Dec Try To Let Go Mike Bartram
23 Oct Never Came To Me Mike Bartram
20 May Heaven And Heaven Mike Bartram
29 Apr Goodbye Anne Mike Bartram
28 Apr Injustice Garyn Jones
20 Apr Anne Williams.-Heaven Sent. jim dolbear
19 Apr A Place (For Anne Williams) Mike Bartram
17 Apr Let the Truth Come, When the Lies Fall Emily Williams
15 Apr Hillsborough – Gone but never forgotten Emdad Rahman
15 Apr Imagine Mike Bartram
15 Apr Today Mike Bartram
18 Mar Think On Mike Bartram
12 Mar The Hillsborough Disaster Tracey Clifton-Jow
09 Mar Mothers Day Love Mike Bartram
2012
03 Dec Balloon stuart ashworth
30 Nov Unusual red moon stuart ashworth
07 Nov ’10/99′ Mike Bartram
30 Oct Solidarity Has No Colours Mike Bartram
23 Oct Resigned Mike Bartram
18 Sep All Apologies Darren O’Keeffe
18 Sep A New Chapter (12/9/12) Mike Bartram
16 Sep Ban them for life kevin halls
13 Sep The Truth is Out Emily Williams
13 Sep JFT96 P Maguire
13 Sep The Hand Of Justice Points The Finger jim dolbear
13 Sep When The Truth Turns Blame To Shame Crispin Thomas
12 Sep The Truth Will Out.( Haiku ) Jim Dolbear
07 Sep Hillsborough Haiku Hy Koo
07 Sep Sept 12th 2012 Mike Bartram
23 Jul What Goes On Mike Bartram
17 Jun Six Minutes Past Three in the Afternoon Emily Williams
16 Jun Hillsborough Dads Mike Bartram
27 Apr A City United ( JFT96 ) Tony Stapo
27 Apr J F T 9 6 – Y N W A Tony Stapo
21 Apr Mirror Mirror Mike Bartram
15 Apr Don’t Go Mike Bartram
15 Apr Abandoned Clik the mouse
13 Apr The Sad Times Mike Bartram
09 Apr Hillsborough Emily Williams
03 Apr The Stench of Lies Mike Bartram
01 Apr Aprils’ Angels Mike Bartram
16 Mar Closing Ranks Mike Bartram
21 Feb Wembley (26/2/2012) l Mike Bartram
16 Feb Justice For The Ninety Six Emily williams
30 Jan Every Hillsborough Story Mike Bartram
19 Jan Establishment Curse Mike Bartram
16 Jan Time goes by Emily Williams
2011
13 Dec Justice Tonight Mike Bartram
15 Nov Liverpool v Notts Forest (Abandoned) Mike Bartram
04 Nov How about a song? Emily Williams
04 Nov Bonfire? Mike Bartram
11 Sep A Flame Emily Williams
05 Sep An Ordinary Day Emily Williams
24 Aug The 22 Year Wait Emily Williams
09 Aug Sunderland AFC (Thanks!) Mike Bartram
24 Jul How can no one hear Emily Williams
22 Jul Hillsborough Jim Bell
06 Jul The Glorious Fields of Anfield Road Mike Bartram
23 Jun Every Hillsborough Story Mike Bartram
21 Jun I Dread to Think Emily Williams
20 Jun 6 Minutes Past 3 Mike Bartram
16 Jun Count to 96 Emily Wlliams
16 Jun I was not there but I know Emily Williams
15 Jun The Legacy of Hillsborough > Mike Bartram
10 Jun Justice Cal Mike Bartram
04 May Peter Beardsley’s Shot Mike Bartram
30 Apr The scouse end Mike Bartram
19 Apr Goodnight Mike Bartram
19 Apr Victims Without A Number Mike Bartram
19 Apr The Nightmare of Hillsbrough Mike Bartram
19 Apr Hillsborough Memorial Emdad Rahman
15 Apr 96 haiku Clik the mouse
15 Apr Ninety Six William Curtis
11 Apr Gone But Never Forgotten Emdad Rahman
2010
15 Ap Why Oh Why Oh Why? Crispin Thomas
15 Apr The 96 The Bard of Burnley
15 Apr Twenty One Today. jim dolbear
15 Apr Souls Of Our Departed. Ken Bushell
2000-2009 Selection
20 Years to Yesterday S B Ingle
Just A Minute S B Ingle
Heroes mark merriman
Empty seats – the 96 legacy Clik the mouse
96 Haiku Hy Koo
Milan – Real Madrid 19/04/89 Minuto di silenzio P Maguire
The Day Truth Died P Maguire
3.06pm P Maguire
19Darren O’Keeffe
Hillsborough> Daniel McDonagh
Hillsborough P Maguire
how do you sleep? poet1978
96 poet1978
Hillsborough Justice For The 96 SB Ingle
96 Reds We’ll Never Forget P.Maguire
Hillsborough Memorial Mark Thomas
Anyone Mark Ballard
Souls Of Our Departed Ken Bushell
Do You Remember P.Maguire
Justice Part 1 Tina Bass
April 15th Hillsborough DJ Bullen
A Terrace called Leppings Lane Emsy
Hillsborough Roses Alan McKean
Remembering Hillsborough P.Maguire
The Funny Thing About Justice Mike Nicholson
Hillsborough 15 Years On Redlady
Justice For The 96 P.Maguire
At Hillsborough Stephen A Owen
Hillsborough Robert Romans
96 tears Clik the mouse
May We Never Forget Nikki Young
For the 96 Shaun Maddy
Cry me a tear mottman
96 Reasons Mark Ballard
Are You Sorry? P Maguire
96 Angels P Maguire
Justice P Maguire
Sorry Mike Nicholson
His darkest disgrace> Mike Nicholson
Why did you do it? Mike Nicholson
Wishing for their old Mum Mike Nicholson
What colour justice? Mike Nicholson
Liverpool Justice Louise Ann Lacey
Why Do I Care?Tom England
Justice for what? Chris Murphy
About This Site
Welcome to Football Poets -- a club for all football poets, lovers of football and lovers of (alternative) poetry. Discover poets in every league from respected internationals at the top of their game to young hopefuls in the school playground.
Publish your football poems here and then discuss them with your team mates and fans. We're archived by The British Library, so your masterpieces are in the safe hands of a world-class keeper. What a result!
My Account
Latest Poems
Crispin Thomas
7th June 2023
joe morris
3rd June 2023
Denys E. W. Jones
1st June 2023
joe morris
1st June 2023
Denys E. W. Jones
29th May 2023
kevin halls
29th May 2023
Gacina Bozidar
28th May 2023
joe morris
28th May 2023
Sharon Jones
28th May 2023
joe morris
21st May 2023
Crispin’s Corner
In Memoriam
Kick It Out & Christmas Truce
Latest Comments
4th June 2023 at 4:01 pm
Thanks Gacina,
I still have not come back down to earth myself either. Also, as I wrote in my footnotes, I loved your Lineker quote poem… short, sweet and to the point. COYB, NSNO, etc…
See in context
3rd June 2023 at 5:09 pm
I am reading this poem over and over again as a part of my ongoing post-match celebration and with the greatest pleasure of the poetry reader.
Greetings from G.B
See in context
10th February 2023 at 8:45 pm
I misspelt Jimmy’s nickname as it should be Greavsie. Typo !
See in context
5th December 2022 at 8:11 pm
Stuart, you are not alone, in your dichotomy of doubt
but without dissention
you stand alone
in hogging our attention!
See in context
16th November 2022 at 11:04 am
[Football on soiled turf]
This is a wonderful phrase which I shall be using from now on!
See in context
15th November 2022 at 3:54 pm
Well said Crispin. One of the reasons for The Ball 2022/23 is exactly this – that FIFA need to know. The Ball is essentially a petition to FIFA to honour their commitments to the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework. They signed up; they should act. The Qatar tournament takes the World Cup in the opposite direction to that commitment. And 2026 looks like it’ll be even worse.
See in context
8th November 2022 at 2:06 pm
Hi Guys
Re ‘Lets Boycott Qatar ‘ poem
You probably hate me banging on..and problably know (like me) that my/your not watching the World Cup in Qatar will make no difference.
Of course it won’t. That’s not the point.
OK someone might possibly eventually publish a minimal drop in terrestrial TV viewer numbers, but I fear that is unlikely.
But please above all, do go on writing poems about the World Cup, as/you we have always done. I hate to think a poem or two of mine might l make you feel bad about comenting on a game or country …or that I’ve put you all off about wanting to contribute.
So we’d love to hear from you and read your thoughts and observations, as ever on what’s going on.
Some of us have been here since Football Poets website birth/inception for the Euros 2000 ….
All my best wishes
Crispin
See in context
18th October 2022 at 10:06 am
Shoot! (Something we’ve also been screaming in vain at our team all season !)
Great memories Joe . Before Shoot, it was Roy of the Rovers comic too, dropping through my letterbox.
Anxiously waiting each week to see if they survived in the mexcian jungle after an ambush..or a pre-season earthquake!
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3rd October 2022 at 8:32 pm
Thanks for the kind words Sharon. Yes, it was a shame with Billy Shako, but with five subs now being allowed, he might yet make it off the bench. Even if it’s just a cameo to close out a poem.
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2nd October 2022 at 1:49 pm
John, your new book is an absolute delight and more please. It’s a shame ‘Swapping Shirts With Shakespeare’ never made it off the bench, but quality football poets light up the writing fields like Roman candles. Go well.
See in context