Father Allan - Part 1
He was born of seven children
The middle of the bunch
His older siblings dressed him up
And packed a simple lunch
His mother used to scrub his ears
Until they shone bright red
His father wasn’t round much
Only home when he was dead
They buried him in Holston plot
That’s where he asked to lay
And Allan went to visit him
After school one day
I never saw you in my days
Said Allan to the stone
So why’d I come to see you now?
I’ll leave you here alone
My mother and my sisters
My brothers and my friends
Will have all my attention
Until the daylight ends
He started school at four years old
He didn’t know them all
The teacher had a long cane stick
That hung upon the wall
It was a sharp reminder
Those boys can be a sin
And it was there for all to see
As soon as they walked in
He felt it on his hands and arms
When he was doing wrong
And when he got in trouble
The days went on too long
At fourteen Allan found a girl
She was so simple plain
But something made him like her
That he couldn’t quite explain
Her name was Ella Cornwall
Her chest and hips were soft
They kissed as beginners
In the corner of the loft
Allan felt some stirring
Such a mystery to him
Now that Daddy’s memory
Was slowly getting dim
What did Daddy tell me
In the short time that we met?
He’d said some things about girls
That I should not forget
So Allan went to mother
To ask what Dad had said
She stiffly rebuffed him
And said your Dad is dead
Ella went to see him
But Allan turned away
She went into a tantrum
And they broke up in May
He turned away from yearnings
And joined the senior side
The best of the all the players
His future opened wide
Copyright © Andrew Holt | Year Posted 2016
Post Comments
Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.
Please
Login
to post a comment