Safe Home

Gold cherry
Poem of the week

By ralph

Wed, 10 Sep 2025
  • 628 reads
16 comments
 

Safe Home

I’ll protect you from the hooded claw
Keep the vampires from your door.
When the chips are down
I’ll be around with my undying
Death-defying love for you.

-    Holly Johnson (with permission)

 

Safe home.
Husband and wife.
Drive to your 21st-century home.
It’s bricks and mortar.
Your beloved son and daughter.
A slow-cooked casserole.
‘The One Show.’
Glowing fires.
Tickled kisses,
the click of the bedside light.
Goodnight!
How do we love you?

Safe home.
Zero-hour contract girl.
Catch the bus to your flat.
With the enveloped mat,
the absence of chat,
Nescafe cappuccino,
‘The One Show’.
The pull of the thin duvet.
Goodnight!
How do you want to say?
“I love you.”

Safe home.
Immigrant.
Walk to your bed under the bridge.
With its bin liner sheet.
Rubble pillow, stolen bananas.
The winded blows.
No one shows!
The kick and kick
of fascist English feet.

Love?

Safe home.

Goodnight.

 

 

Certificate U
Poem

Comments

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

Ralph this is a powerful and wonderful poem but please take off the Holly Johnson lyrics within our 24 hour takedown limit unless you have his permission, in which case please mention this

 

Submitted by ralph on

Holly is a personal friend and knows about the use of his lyrics. I have even performed the poem in his presence.

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

Thanks so much for letting me know.

 

Submitted by Tom Brown on

Don't listen to him. What are they doing to protect Our copyrights? It's bl*dy ridiculous. It is just a Quote man!

Tom

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

Tom are you talking to me? ABCTales needs to protect itself from litigation by copyright owners. We are a small foundation charity which exists only because of the kindness of people's donations. We can't afford to be sued by fancy lawyers. So it's not 'just a quote'

If you want to read about the copyright for your own work please read our terms and conditions

 

Submitted by Tom Brown on

Is quoting AI on comments OK? How would you know the difference? And please, to what extent can you order Abc members around, surely the site belongs to all of us.

And if we are so insignificant, why would anyone bother with us?

I have actually read the terms and conditions and I've read them again now.

Tom Brown

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

Tom, ABCTales is a UK registered foundation charity and a limited company. I am one of the directors. We have a board of trustees and a larger group of editors all of whom very generously give their time on a voluntary basis.

We are not a co-operative or a collective, so no, in that sense, ABCTales doesn't belong to you, as a user of the site.

You, Ralph and all our other members are welcome to use ABCTales so long as you adhere to our terms and conditions.

 

Submitted by ralph on

I've just written to Holly so I can give you the correct evidence. Which is fair. 

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

I'm happy to accept what you said Ralph, but you could have saved us both all this back and forth if you'd just mentioned it in the summary, or in the body of the work - eg 'with kind permission' etc etc. Please tell Holly I still have. my Frankie goes to Hollywood t-shirt somewhere

 

Submitted by ralph on

Looks like my poem has been hijacked on this thread. Which is a shame. Oh well. 

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

It's such a strong poem! I don't know what the One Show is, as not had telly for a long time, but that the first two stanzas shared a kind of unity through it (though very unequal) and the last really didn't, stood out. A simple idea, going to bed, brilliantly done

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Congratulations! This is Poem of the Week!

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

This is our social media Pick of the Day

Please share if you like it too

Picture Credit:https://tinyurl.com/47z7zse5

 

Submitted by Mark Say on

I like the way you make a powerful point without hitting us over the head with it.

 

Submitted by catherine poarch on

Clever poem. Deceptively simple. To be honest, it didn't need a quote. It speaks for itself. 

 

Submitted by Tom Brown on

I still need to know how you (ABC editor) would know if I did not find something on AI, or if I did? Isn't AI public domain? Are there copyrights? Honestly I am confused.

Tom Brown