This Be The Verse
Philip Arthur Larkin
1922 to 1985
Type into the gaps to complete the poem. To reset the game, click on the "Reset Game" button located below the poem. This will clear all the words you've placed in the blanks, and resetting the poem to its original state with empty blanks. If you prefer to drag and drop words, click the Drag & Drop button below. You can also print out the poem for use in the classroom.
They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
fill you with the faults they had
And some extra, just for you.
But they were fucked in their turn
By fools in old-style hats coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
half at one another’s throats.
Man hands on misery man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get as early as you can,
And don’t have kids yourself.