Stand-up turned poet and children's author

Here's an exclusive, previously unpublished piece from poet and children's author Joshua Seigal​:

The Comedian

You’re about to go onstage
when she calls you up
to say her mum is sick. 

You’re about to go onstage
when you catch a glimpse of BBC News – 
Russia is going to test Article 5. 

You’re about to go onstage
when an urgent email from HMRC
hits your inbox. 

You’re about to go onstage
when you realise that everything
      is so fragile, 

     so insecure, so unsafe
that the only thing clasping the world together
is this moment – 

the faces that await you;
the lullabies
in their laughter.

• Joshua Seigal has several collections of poetry published with Bloomsbury, and won the Laugh Out Loud Book Award and The People’s Book Prize among others. He was previously a comedian who has taken shows to the Edinburgh Fringe. His website is www.joshuaseigal.co.uk

Published: 17 Jun 2026