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Life In The Gutter

by Lynn Gerrard

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  • The first book of poetry written by Lynn Gerrard aka The Grumbling Gargoyle.

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  • The second book of poetry by Lynn Gerrard aka The Grumbling Gargoyle (which includes three short stories).

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1.
The Kid 01:11
The Kid Stick another pie in the fat kid 'Cos it's easier for you, And sod exercise Just feed it fries As it's squashed into a seat for two. Bang another game in its X Box So you don't have to cope With the boring themes Of its hopes and dreams As they're puffed away in your smoke. Slap all the blame for your lifestyle On the kid as it tries to sleep To escape the pain Slicing through its brain Of the bullying that makes it weep. Take another hit from your crack pipe And let the kid sort out the mess In the stinking hole Of the dump that's home Where it becomes more depressed. Throw another punch when the money's spent To remind the kid it's a drain To buy it stuff When there's hardly enough Cash for your cocaine. Knock another nail in its coffin Pretend you don't know why A kid so sweet would admit defeat And lonely and lost... ...Choose to die. © Copyright Lynn Woods 2.8.2012
2.
Best Friend 00:14
Don't need his lies, His roving eyes, His alcohol fuelled, Flattery. Got my chocs, Music that rocks, And a friend who comes with Batteries ~~ © Copyright Lynn Woods 2.8.2012
3.
Panic Attack 00:39
I'm frightened to drift To slip To slide Will you stop me? I'm beginning to tremble To shake To shiver Will you hold me? I'm starting to gasp To choke To die Will you save me? I'm going to flip To fall To drop Will you catch me? I'm needing to flee To run To hide Will you find me? I'm wanting to stop To start To live Will you help me? Help set me free....... © Copyright Lynn Woods 2.8.2012
4.
Removal 01:19
I have no idea what time the truck arrived It was just there, Outside the house, Uncovered, Dirty, Emotionless. One by one her treasures were piled into it Without thought, Or care. Quickly, Impatiently, Recklessly. Laden, the removal men chatted as they passed the other Fags dangling from lips, Sharing a joke, Laughing, Disrespectful, Mocking. And all the while her life's story continued to lie naked Before the elements, On public display, Exposed, Vulnerable, Mournful. Each item thrown with disregard into the truck still bore the shadows Of so many hopes and dreams Long past, Irretrievable now, Fading, Forgotten. Forever silenced by Death, no more would these remnants of life Stand to tell her tale Of love, Passion, Pleasure, Pain. Nor could I. Whoever she had been in life I do not know I was just a passer by, An observer, A stranger, Of no consequence... ...And still I cried For the loss of her. © Copyright Lynn Woods 2.8.2012
5.
Senses 00:45
To be bullied, to be beaten is a crime But not to be touched, Never to know contact, Is as much a crime. To be stared at, to be sneered at is a sin But not to be seen, Never to be noticed, Is as much a sin. To be shouted at, to be ridiculed is a hurt But not to be heard, Never to be listened to Is as much a hurt. To be spat at, to be devoured is unbearable But not to be kissed, Never to taste another Is as unbearable. To be smothered, to be suffocated is painful But not to inhale life, Never to breathe Is possibly the only relief from the pain of everything...
6.
Footsteps 01:14
Cold tarmac hides the footsteps of my youth, Still the warmth of cobbled memories linger on To tell their tale of lolly sticks and laughter, Grazed knee caps from a summer's day of play. The air so sharp and clear catches my breath, In contrast to the foggy days back then, When factory chimney pots each puffed with pride, Their smoky giggles filling somber skies. And whilst friction from fast food blazes a trail, It can not replace the graceful gait of fare Prepared, as then, by a flurry of floury hands, Each offering wholesome pies to smiling mouths. Children now, no longer play outside, Remaining pallid prisoners of some screen, They will never know the freedom or the fun Of playing catch or chasing balls along the streets. The streets where empty pavements now reside In a world where no one chats and no one trusts Yet in the shadows of my childhood still I dance To the cheery tune of echo's from the past....
7.
Home Truths 00:58
You will not want to hear this But still it must be said, Home truths are never easy, I understand your dread. Regardless you should listen To every word I say. My friend I want to help you To save you from the pain Of being who you really are Of doing what you do Of totally repulsing All those who know of you. You see you're just not likeable Or loveable or nice You're ugly and quite worthless Oh do take my advice! Disappear, just vanish Take your boring tones And bury them with the hopeless sob Of your ever moaning bones. If anyone should notice Most will be relieved That you're no longer visible So can't you just concede? Go lock yourself away somewhere Throw away the key. Oh...who am I to say these things? I'm you of course, You're me....... © Copyright Lynn Woods 2.8.2012
8.
Dark Skies 05:24
Dark Skies Dark skies hung as heavy As a fat dog's sweaty belly When Arthur took her hand outside the abattoir. And to the tune of doom filled moos Arthur bit his lip and shuffled his shoes Before asking Mary if she would be his girl A gas light flickered into life At the gas lamp lighting mans first strike Adding dancing shadows to Mary's blushing cheeks And as Arthur waited for a yea or nay With a half chewed lip and a nervous sway A stray dog paused to pee upon his leg Pretending that she hadn't seen Arthur's pants leg start to steam Mary swallowed a titter and replaced it with a grin Then giving Arthur's hand a squeeze Whilst feeling quite weak at the knees With an eager nod she agreed to be with him And so their courtship began with joy The young housemaid and the slaughterhouse boy Snatching stolen moments 'tween cleaning and killing cows And sure enough it wasn't long Before true love blossomed and with passions strong They were up the aisle exchanging heartfelt vows In a two up two down in a tiny street, The newly weds nuptials being complete, A few months on saw Mary with news to share And over a jellied eel and a plate of tripe Arthur's eyes shed tears of delight To hear of the child that Mary would soon bear The years passed quickly, as they do But their love for the other just grew and grew Bringing two more babies to join the happy clan And whilst Arthur's pay from his slaughtering days Just about managed to keep hunger at bay Mary fed well from the love she held for her man But times were changing and very soon More dark skies, bringing doom and gloom Would empty their bowels on the happy family scene And as nappies were washed and grazed knees fixed A cruel world played nasty tricks When war broke out, incinerating hopes and dreams One by one young soldiers left To fight for freedom as their families wept Never knowing as they waved them off who would come home And so it was she stood that day A heartbroken Mary whose tears would say " Be safe, my Arthur, don't leave us on our own" Still, Mary had more luck than some Although not often Arthur's letters did come And she'd trace a fretful finger over each word Which, written from some mud drenched trench, Despite the cheer Arthur's prose did attempt, Couldn't hide the horrors of a blood soaked, mindless world But Mary had a plan in mind To keep her busy until such time As Arthur's slaughtering boots would once more rest On the threadbare rug at the side of the bed Where she prayed each day 'till her knees nearly bled, And she smiled the more she thought about her quest Off to the hospital she would go To tend to the wounded and let them know That a caring, loving hand would help them cope With their broken bones and their missing limbs And their shattered minds, paying for the sins Of those who sent them into hell without any hope So it was, Mary walked that day Homeward bound with a weary sway But happy, to have served in helping those Whose loved ones waited with baited breath For the familiar tread upon a well worn step As bent and buckled their heroes limped back home It was just in passing the abattoir That Mary's cheer began to sour And pondering as to why she raised her eyes To see above the darkening folds of the crumpling clouds As they swallowed the gold of the morning's sun To make way for sinister skies Trying to ignore these foreboding flavours Mary knocked on the door of her neighbour And with a smile that belied her worry she carried on in To cuddle her kids and to thank her friend Upon whose kindness Mary's work did depend But the face that greeted Mary's wore a veil of grim The kids were chewing on their bread and jam As Mary was passed the telegram And a shaking hand sensed the weight of the words within And thunder groaned and muffled the cries of a grief stricken Mary Who, through tear soaked eyes Read "Deeply regret..." before collapsing as her world caved in Dark skies, thankfully, didn't last And the sacrifices made in the Great War's pernicious past Allowed for a peaceful new start in a troubled world Where despite the relief and the jubilation The human cost didn't warrant celebration As grieving families struggled to come to terms And as for Mary and her much loved brood Well, times were hard but they struggled through And on many occasion they'd wander to the abattoir To stand on the corner where she'd reminisce About simpler times and true loves first kiss When the slaughterhouse boy asked the housemaid to be his girl Now bright skies saunter overhead As we pay our respects to the bold, brave dead Who gave the ultimate so we could live our lives Lives we should cherish every day Remembering the freedom that came our way Through the Arthur's and the others who for our sake gave up theirs. © Copyright Lynn Gerrard 2.8.2012

about

A short collection of spoken word poetry by Lynn Gerrard aka The Grumbling Gargoyle.

This is her blog thegrumblinggargoyle.blogspot.co.uk

Lynn has just announced that the first of four books of her poems will be released by Wallace Publishing on 29.5.15.

All proceeds from the track Dark Skies will be donated to The Not Forgotten Association who provide leisure and recreation opportunities for Service and ex-Service military personnel from the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force who have been wounded, who have sustained permanent injuries in the line of duty or after leaving the Service.

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released November 28, 2013

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