The Oxford Book of Scatological Poems is yet to be compiled; how much of a market there’d be for it, in any case, remains a matter of doubt. Nevertheless, it’s true that poems aren’t always about roses and beauty; sometimes they’re about poo. Below we’ve gathered together ten of the best poems about going to the toilet, answering a call of nature, performing a bodily function … poems on the topic of excrement … well, you get the picture. Enjoy.
John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, ‘By All Love’s Soft, Yet Mighty Powers’. Not a poem for the faint-hearted, like many by the scurrilous poet at the court of King Charles II. Here, Rochester (1647-80) takes in as many taboos as he can about sex, from engaging in carnal activity when the woman is on her period to doing it when her clothes are covered in poo. We’re paraphrasing: we warn you the poem itself uses somewhat stronger language!