Apocrypha is a pamphlet by A B Jackson, published by Donut Press. It’s a tenner for 21 poems in a lusciously produced vo lume, which you can buy directly from the publisher.
The word apocrypha refers to books of the Bible (or other early Christian writing) ‘of questionable authenticity’ – and broadly, that’s what we have here. Biblical tales, re-wrought, saying something new.
You can read three poems from the collection here, but here’s another one:
XI
Moses horned, lantern-jawed,
down from his mountain.
The Law weighed half a ton,
his palms and fingertips
rosy-raw, the neighbours agog.
Chinese whispers followed, via
fat lip or speech impediment:
avoid shellfish and homosexuals;
dally not with incontinent vipers
on Hollywood Boulevard; cherish
cuckoo spit, the cuckoo wasp.
Secure the election.
Moses, in a marmalade wig,
reloaded his gun.
I haven’t got round to ordering anything from my 
, and suggests that the immaculate conception, well, wasn’t. It’s a cute love song – I think it’s utterly lovely.
– Patricia Arquette stars as an unlikely victim of the stigmata, and Gabriel Byrne plays a priest who discovers much unsavoury in the depths of the Catholic church.
I’m not a fan of children’s poetry (I tend to find it stupid and pointless), and I’m not really a fan of princess stories either.