THE SCAFFOLD

Those of us who have reached a certain age must surly remember 'Lily the Pink' & 'Thank you very much', comedic songs that we see very little of now days, but who remembers the bands lineup, one of them, poet Roger McGough, is now one of Britain's best loved poets and someone who's books of prose I've been reading since 1972 when I borrowed a collection of poems called 'The Mersey Sound" from the school library, I have to admit that I never returned it so recon I owe in excess of£3000 in late return fees, I've popped the one I want read at my deathbed below but before you read it I'll just say I couldn't decide which of THESE TO CHOOSE, they are all very similar but let me know which looks best!


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

Roger McGough