by Pa Rock
Poetry Appreciator
One afternoon last week while taking a break from typing and playing footman to the farm's poultry, I heard an amazingly insightful poem emanate from the television machine. The show was one of the later episodes of the British detective drama, Inspector George Gently, and the poem was recited from memory by a young boy who was speaking at the funeral of a friend - an adult with mental issues who had instilled a love of poetry in the boy.
The poem that the boy recited was "Let Me Die a Youngman's Death" by Liverpool poet and performance artist Roger McGough. In the piece McGough argues his case stepping smartly off of the mortal coil rather than just quietly slipping away. I was taken with the message and felt it offered something to aspire to - even for an old codger like me.
I hope that it resonates with you as well. Be of good tumor.
Let Me Die A Youngman's Death
by Roger McGough
Poetry Appreciator
One afternoon last week while taking a break from typing and playing footman to the farm's poultry, I heard an amazingly insightful poem emanate from the television machine. The show was one of the later episodes of the British detective drama, Inspector George Gently, and the poem was recited from memory by a young boy who was speaking at the funeral of a friend - an adult with mental issues who had instilled a love of poetry in the boy.
The poem that the boy recited was "Let Me Die a Youngman's Death" by Liverpool poet and performance artist Roger McGough. In the piece McGough argues his case stepping smartly off of the mortal coil rather than just quietly slipping away. I was taken with the message and felt it offered something to aspire to - even for an old codger like me.
I hope that it resonates with you as well. Be of good tumor.
Let Me Die A Youngman's Death
by Roger McGough
Let
me die a youngman's death
not a clean and inbetween
the sheets holywater death
not a famous-last-words
peaceful out of breath death
When I'm 73
and in constant good tumour
may I be mown down at dawn
by a bright red sports car
on my way home
from an allnight party
Or when I'm 91
with silver hair
and sitting in a barber's chair
may rival gangsters
with hamfisted tommyguns burst in
and give me a short back and insides
Or when I'm 104
and banned from the Cavern
may my mistress
catching me in bed with her daughter
and fearing for her son
cut me up into little pieces
and throw away every piece but one
Let me die a youngman's death
not a free from sin tiptoe in
candle wax and waning death
not a curtains drawn by angels borne
'what a nice way to go' death
not a clean and inbetween
the sheets holywater death
not a famous-last-words
peaceful out of breath death
When I'm 73
and in constant good tumour
may I be mown down at dawn
by a bright red sports car
on my way home
from an allnight party
Or when I'm 91
with silver hair
and sitting in a barber's chair
may rival gangsters
with hamfisted tommyguns burst in
and give me a short back and insides
Or when I'm 104
and banned from the Cavern
may my mistress
catching me in bed with her daughter
and fearing for her son
cut me up into little pieces
and throw away every piece but one
Let me die a youngman's death
not a free from sin tiptoe in
candle wax and waning death
not a curtains drawn by angels borne
'what a nice way to go' death
2 comments:
After hearing the same poem on the same Inspector George Gently episode, I was also inspired to search for it online. Thank you for posting it.
The same with me - George Gently inspired me to look for the poem on the internet. Thank you!
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