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Roger McGough The Dada Christmas Catalogue at Self Winding

(via eeksypeeksy)

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A couple of nice Roger McGough poems.

Goodbat Nightman

God bless all policemen
and fighters of crime,
May thieves go to jail
for a very long time.

They've had a hard day
helping clean up the town,
Now they hang from the mantlepiece
both upside down.

A glass of warm blood
then straight up the stairs,
Batman and Robin
are saying their prayers.

They've locked all the doors
and they've put out the bat,
Put on their Batjamas
(They like doing that)

They've filled their batwater-bottles
made their batbeds,
With two springy batresses
for sleepy batheads.

They're closing red eyes
and they're counting black sheep,
Batman and Robin
are falling asleep.


Happiness

lying in bed of a weekday morning
Autumn
and the trees
none the worse for it
You've just got up to make tea, toast and a bottle
leaving pastures warm
for me to stretch into

in his cot
the littlefella
outsings the birds

Plenty of honey in the cupboard.
Nice.
Posted by Nabakov at December 27, 2004 11:16 AM

...nice

Wish I had read Batmaner Robin a few years back.


Posted by boynton at December 27, 2004 05:40 PM

the littlefella
outsings the birds

.. funny to think he is all grown up now and probably in his forties...

I hope he lives like this:

Let Me Die a Youngman's Death

Let me die a youngman's death
not a clean and inbetween
the sheets holywater death
not a famous-last-words
peaceful out of breath death

When I'm 73
and in constant good tumour
may I be mown down at dawn
by a bright red sports car
on my way home
from an allnight party

Or when I'm 91
with silver hair
and sitting in a barber's chair
may rival gangsters
with hamfisted tommyguns burst in
and give me a short back and insides

Or when I'm 104
and banned from the Cavern
may my mistress
catching me in bed with her daughter
and fearing for her son
cut me up into little pieces
and throw away every piece but one

Let me die a youngman's death
not a free from sin tiptoe in
candle wax and waning death
not a curtains drawn by angels borne
'what a nice way to go' death
Posted by David Tiley at December 27, 2004 10:46 PM

that's great.

I took down my only McGough today for a re-read.
"Holiday on death row"

I remember reading it and the long 'holiday..." poem for the first time, the "rat a tat tat" lines in particular.

Always good to have a rat a tat quote up one's sleeve...

Your McG selections have made me want to read more.
Posted by boynton at December 27, 2004 11:43 PM