My Dad, the ringer.

Gold cherry

By Canonette

Mon, 01 Jun 2015
  • 6925 reads
22 comments
 

Dad’s a prigger of prancers, a ruffler and a peevish rascal –
why hand over the readies, when you can pilfer and purloin?
Nowadays, priggers are ringers, not stealers of palfreys;
knocking off motors, grinding down the serials,
mixing up the numbers, new plates for old.

Dad’s got himself a girlfriend, she’s the same age as I am;
you know what they say – soon ripe, soon rotten.
Shameless little doxy takes him back to his youth, says he;
joy riding, clocking the speedo at his mate’s chop shop,
then flashing his ill-gotten coin at the local inn’s lock in.

Dad’s an upright man, not a common palliard or a vagabond –
no patched cloak for him and his mort, a bawdy buer.
They go so gorgeously, finely arrayed for boozing belly-cheer;
talking business at Charlie Chan’s – import-export,
shark fin soup, special banquet, Chinese brandy in the jacuzzi.

Dad’s well acquainted with cheaters, misfits and filchers –
takes me to his mate’s crib, cants about cars and coppers.
The mate’s a fence and queer cove, I can tell he doesn’t trust me;
scared I’ll land him in the porridge, eyes me up suspiciously –
my glaziers never leave the shotgun balanced on his knees.

Certificate PG
Poem
Autobiography

Comments

Submitted by maisie on

Very nicely done, I can see them :)

maisie angel Guess what?  I'm still alive!

Submitted by Canonette on

Thanks, Maisie - that's really encouraging.  At the moment, I feel like I don't have a poetic bone in my body!

 

Submitted by maisie on

Sometimes I think that when you have to stretch for it, it comes - even if it's unknown to us to later on.

maisie angel Guess what?  I'm still alive!

Submitted by torscot on

 

torscot

Submitted by Deliberately Ev... on

Brilliant. Love all the criminal slang words - so fun but at the same time slightly worrying and sad. I read it through a few times because I enjoyed the rhythm of it so much.

The beat of your heart is the mellifluent rhythm to my soul.

Submitted by Canonette on

Thank you all for reading and say such nice things about it!  I have no idea, when I write a poem, whether it's crap or not.  I adore slang, especially criminal slang - it's so rich and interesting.

 

Submitted by Deliberately Ev... on

I'm the same - I'm never sure whether what I have just written is a big load of refuse or has any value. I like writing though. Old fashioned slang is fun. Have you read Terry Pratchett's novel 'Dodger'? It's wonderful for that.

The beat of your heart is the mellifluent rhythm to my soul.

Submitted by VeraClark on

It's a cracker. Spits off the tongue, inherently painful but flies along and needed to google for half the slang!

 

Submitted by Canonette on

Thanks, Vera. I picked up an old Penguin copy of Cony-Catchers and Bawdy Baskets, which is about Elizabethan vagabonds - it was inspirational!

 

Submitted by VeraClark on

Only you.

 

Submitted by Bee on

This is great. Loved it.

Bee

Submitted by blighters rock on

Drop jaw gorgeous, raging words. What a rotter but he couldn't ruin yow

 

Submitted by Canonette on

Thank you, Bee and Blighters. It was really fun to write in a different language!  It felt a bit Clockwork Orange.

 

Submitted by Art of the Diver on

Cannoette it is nothing like Clockwork Orange!

It is far, far better and I'm sure Vinnie Jones would also agree. Do take Bear's advice; Submit, Submit, Submit.. though perhaps that should be the fate of your whole portfolio... Don't be humble... sit on our side of the fence... you'll see.  Take care

Rob

Submitted by Canonette on

Thanks, Rob.  That's a lovely thing to say. 

 

Submitted by Art of the Diver on

It's an Honest and very genuine opinion my friend... and that ain't no ringer!  wink

Submitted by VeraClark on

This is our Facebook and Twitter Pick of the Day!

Get a great reading recommendation every day.

 

Submitted by Canonette on

Thank you for the golden cherries - I'll hang 'em on the rear view mirror of me knocked off motor.smiley

 

Submitted by scratch on

Guy Richie's avin a borl.  Luvit.

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

This is great. Shows how rich our language is. I loved the prigger of prancers.

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

Excellent, Canonette. I experimented with cockney slang in my poem 'Apple, Pears and Treacle Tart' but it wasn't as good as this, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Thanks for posting it.

Best, Luigi

 

Submitted by Canonette on

Thank you for reading Luigi and Catherine. Sorry, I took so long to reply! Oh, and Scratch too. You'll have to forgive me - I'm all over the place at the moment.