Tramps Like Us

Cherry

By ralph

Fri, 02 Oct 2026
  • 399 reads
3 comments
 

Tramps Like Us

 

The song rages hard from the bedroom.

Well, I guess it was selected on Hope. 

Alexa dealing jokers on an E Street Shuffle. 

All I want is ‘Give ‘Em Enough Rope’.

 

Unheard or unseen for over a year.

The projectionist still scratches the frame.

So I’ll date and place those moments here:

Liverpool, June 7th, 2025... 10.04pm.

 

Our wedded hands are rapturing the moon.

Adrift in love on the river to New Jersey.

The three of us, then just the you and me.

Washed up come September’s cold Mersey. 

 

 

 

Certificate U
Poem

Comments

Submitted by ralph on

A new poem about a song, it’s places (several references, maybe you’ll spot them) and a moment.  Over years, I’ve come to understand that all poems and art are in conversation with another. I would say that this poem is the sister to 'Considering Lucy’ taken from my 2nd collection, ‘Hidden Music’.

The story behind the poem. I have found it hard to listen to certain songs over the last year or so because they can be terribly triggering for me. Especially the music of one of my heroes, Bruce Springsteen. However, the other day, my smart speaker threw out his greatest anthem, ‘Born to Run’ at random. It caught me completely off guard, unsettled me.

Then I played it again and jumped around the bedroom, sang along until it was once more mine. It was absolutely glorious! 

 

Submitted by GlosKat on

I dance around the house too Ralph !  Mostly the kitchen with the radio tuned to 70's or 80's tracks while I'm cooking or washing up (no dishwasher).  

And yes, music can be so triggering, a double edged sword.  But even sad feelings are feelings, and let you know you're still alive.

The beauty of the radio is that I never know what theyr'e going to play next, and suddenly something will come on that gives me a 'whoa !  I remember that !' moment which triggers a particular memory.  Yesterday it was Donna Summer's Hot Love which made me remember seeing The Full Monty, dubbed in French, while I was at language school in Bordeaux in 2003. Salut fils ! So I did some naff seventies disco dancing round the kitchen.

Glorious is the word !  Thank you for you poem it really made me smile. Although I am sorry your marriage broke up (if I read that correctly).

 

Submitted by ralph on

Beautiful. Thank you!