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our Saturday ritual

jim sharp

Thursday, January 25th, 2007

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 oxo gravy … & “meat” pie
yes!
that’s what they called them in war time ‘45.
i’m 12 years owd & off on mi todd to millmoor
rotherham united’s soccer ground where it’s
“up the millers’ & wally ardron was our lad.
i’d allus be there early hoping to catch me brother-
inlaw jack coz saturday were his is free day
away from his mundane grimy bleeding hot job.
gravy & meat pies he wudna touch well! never
on a saturday coz they’re his social sabbaticals
ritualized by his pre kick-off liquid lunch.
tipsily … wiv this young lad his heart & pocket
alus seemed so large & i’d score a couple a bob
be he flushed! … mebbe half a crown.
we’d allus meet outside the styles two lads having a
regular natter he’d never say do this or that
talk working life … soccer & family gossip.
‘tis kick off time & time to go jack to his muckers up in
the stands me to the cop … at backka the goals
alone wi’ me own … ‘todd’ company.
this were our ritual through out mi early teens
until i had ta werk! & that bugged-up all that.
now thru mi winter reminiscences
our owd soccer rituals i’ve never forgotton
aboot me & mi brother Jack.

Notes

an autodidact, reminiscing his long gone spring
jim

Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/our-saturday-ritual/