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BISCUITMEN AND BOYS

Geoffrey Winch

Wednesday, November 28th, 2007

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 H & P’s – biscuit bakers of the premier league
by appointment to His Majesty – they satisfied
appetites of the post-war world.

2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 King’s Road would fill at Friday’s final whistle
with biscuitmen biking, bussing, running home –
had to be ready for the weekend game.

3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 Mister Ost, weekday-weary – defeated always by
Kendrick Hill – pushed his bike up then thanked
the Lord he could freewheel all down to Whitley,
except on Fridays when he’d break his journey
to deliver his weekly bonus of broken biscuits
to we three boys.

4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 The best were saved by Mother for Sunday tea,
then it was time for the lucky draw – rough or
smooth, rich tea or nice, a coffee finger or pink
girly wafer! (boys liked the brown ones better),
ginger nut, neat iced gem (blues were the rare ones)
or a dream – a garibaldi. Halves, quarters, odd-shapes –
it didn’t really matter – a treat was in every piece, but
a real winner was a Reading shortcake, pimply, round
and, sometimes, whole! – (an own-goal by Mother?)

5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 Mister Ost was a broken man – own son sacrificed
to the war, his wife to an early grave – but Saturdays
he’d be on Elm Park’s terraces, faithful fan roaring
the boys on in another division three (south) battle –
long before the Biscuitmen were dubbed the Royals.

6 Leave a comment on verse 6 0 Now Elm Park echoes inside Madejski’s stadium –
the Royals are the Biscuitmen of the premier league.

© Geoffrey Winch 2007

Notes

Reading were formerly known as The Biscuitmen before The Royals.
Poem written in the 2006-7 season.

Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/biscuitmen-and-boys/