[When I was Young and Ignorant]

Tags

carnival, circus, ignorance, love, Patrick Barrington, Poem, poetry reading, youth

When I was Young and Ignorant
by Patrick Barrington

When I was young and ignorant I loved a Miss McDougall,
Our days were spent in happiness, although our means were frugal;
We did not sigh for worldly wealth, for vain and tawdry treasures,
We were a simple country pair with simple country pleasures.
Beneath the village chestnut-tree it was our joy to meet once;
We used to tread the dewy fields with wonder-waking feet once;
We wandered once in leafy lanes and walked in Woodlands shady;
But now she’s gone to Birmingham to be a Bearded Lady.

I loved her as I loved my life when I was young and tender,
And happily our time was spent although our means were slender.
We used to pass the golden days in countrified pursuits once;
We walked through simple country bogs in simple country boots once.
High hopes of happiness I had, but now my hopes are zero,
Alas! My love has left me now to carve her own career O;
Now all the hopes I had of her are worth a maravedi;
My love has gone to Birmingham to be a Bearded Lady.

My love now dwells in circus halls with clowns and tight-rope dancers,
Where dromedaries play bassoons and sea-lions do the lancers;
She moves amongst trick-bicyclists, buffoons and comic waiters,
With elephants and acrobats and prestidigitators.
No longer daily by my side she wanders through the hay now,
The glamour of the public eye has lured are far away now.
Remorseless Fates, my tender hopes how cruelly betrayed ye!
My love has gone to Birmingham to be a Bearded Lady.

When I was young and ignorant I loved a Miss McDougall;
But that was e’er she heard the call of Fame’s imperious bugle.
I thought her kind as she was fair, but I was green and calfish;
My love, though brighter than a star, was colder than a starfish.
High hopes of happiness I had when I was young and tender;
But time and tide have falsified my juvenile agenda.
Farewell, my castle is in the air! Phantasmal mansions, fade ye!
My love has gone to Birmingham to be a Bearded Lady.

Parade to the Past

Tags

carnival, Humor, old days, Poetry

The diseased docks fell
       into disuse
       over the decades
       of grime and crime.

Still, the pigeons peck and
       coo back and forth
       in the dark places
       like lonesome doves.

The flea-bitten cats with manicures
      prowl about nights
      singing gutterally
      to penniless patrons.

The fly-bitten dogs with choke collars
      pander about pensively
      looking for a meal
      to chase.

Back in those days,
      the birds ate like kings,
      the cats enjoyed the rats,
      and the dogs were strangely petted.

It was a glorious carnival,
      with plays and rides,
      the constant chatter,
      and the occasional childish shriek.

The popular places to hang out were
      the cotton-candy booth,
      the giddy merry-go-round,
      and the black leather hot-dog stand.