ragamuffins 1955
ragamuffins castellated around their red hole seats
jump inside and to one side the black culvert
with the stove-in corrugated roof
fill it with smoke and the winner stays
the longest coughing a blue earned respect
ochre cinder tips grass covered
not the black clinking tip’s shining slag
paths foot-inscribed and changing with
the excavations of the cranes deciding
on the rise and fall of adventures
step beyond last daring step
every death-defying truth unknown
beyond the company of pals
ragamuffins one and all
not one shoe unshod
every item of clothing unclothed in rips
the soils of these self same tips
seven tarmac pyramids
of historical extraction unknown
leaping from one to the other
the epitome of habitual bravado
to the grass-kneed slope of the king’s castle
and down goes the invader’s enfilade
sally rhubarb clubbing away their rights
two paths one destination
two paths of an infinite return
with the medals of adventures
changing time and again hammering
play into its rightful place
the steps to adulthood understood
but hidden in insider games
what was afoot was being afoot
on top of this industrial detritus
to us it was out to play
for kids in my day went out to play
and devil take the hindmost
and often did
i saw it with my own eyes
a long long time ago
there were these ragamuffins
and i was one of them
with my own seat
on the castellated red hole
the king of the castle
i was
