Margate, 1964

Cherry

By luigi_pagano

Sun, 11 May 2025
  • 199 reads
8 comments
 

I do clearly remember the date
because of fisticuffs in Margate.
A swarm arrived on bikes or scooters;
they weren't ordinary commuters. 

Two factions determined to decide
who was the top dog at a seaside.
The Rockers, with Pompadour hairstyle,
The Mods,whose objective was to rile

The fight among the two was manic;
the town's residents were in panic.
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread,
Pope once said, so I prudently fled. 

You might think that it is rather odd
that I wasn't a rocker nor a mod.
I sat, as was my wont, on the fence
wanting harmony not violence. 

I am a peace lover and believe
the proverb that says live and let live 
and yet you my think me an oddball 
as I cannot resist the "fight call". * 

 
© Luigi Pagano 2025

* In theatre, a "fight call" refers to a pre-performance rehearsal of fight choreography.

 

Certificate U
Poem
Mutevoli pensieri
Inspiration Point (work that responds to our weekly writing cue)

Comments

Submitted by Tom Brown on

The midnight scooter is a nuisance there should be a curfew.

Cheers Luigi! -Tom

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

Quite so, Tom.

Best, Luigi

 

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Luigi,

that's scary that you were in Margate when this occured. I remember reading about it. I too hate any kind of violence, so understand your situation.

Jenny. xx

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

Hi Jenny, It happened so long ago that it has become a distant memory of a situation that was quite common at the time. Luckily I was only an observer and not a participant.Many thanks for reading and commenting.

Luigi xx.

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

well done Luigi (also for not getting caught in the crossfire). I've heard of those famous Mods v Rockers incidents before - very early sixties?

Edit - I just read the title again - doh!

One small typo

they wrem't ordinary commuters.

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

Hi Claudine. Yes it was indeed the Swinging Sixties, maybe before your time. Also I was possibly too old to be a rocker or a mod, so I was just a bystander. Many thans  for the cherries a nd for spotting the typo, due to a combination of my eyesight and my dodgy laptop. Corrected now.

Best wishes, Luigi x

 

Submitted by airyfairy on

I remember the outrage in the papers at the time - Mods and Rockers were the end of civilisation as we knew it. Horrible for the residents of the town, of course, and scary for the innocent bystanders. You are the only person I've known who was actually there!

Thanks for this Luigi - very enjoyable.

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

Margate was not the only seasude resort affected by those riots, Jabe. Similar incidents were going on at the time im Brighton, Clacton and Hastings.Thank for reading and commenting.

Luigi x