In Memory of James Hardy Vaux
Toby-gills with barking irons flip at the jervis’s gams
and run mauleys over his upper-benjamin for the bunce
Buz-gloaks draw a clout from the swell’s salt-box-cly
or a spangle or sneezing-coffer
Cracksmen spank a glaze in the crib
to ramp the ridge
Prigs give it to ‘em upon the snuff-racket
afore putting their forks down for a coach-wheel
Bit-fakers coin browns and whistles, bobsticks, a queer half-quid
not a bad half-penny, their game
Mounters or an old file upon the town swear before the beaks
and nose upon knuckling-coves for a bean or doubloon
What a lark the needy-mizzlers wearing bands
unbetty a lock or jemmy three
Sly nibblers knap a Jacob from a danna-drag
to go out a-blue-pigeon flying above the area-slum
High-toby-gloaks bounce lushy coves
out of a haddock stuffed with beans
Alderman Lushington is concerned in the lush-ken
with cat andkitten rig upon the sly
Cross-mollishers in twig knap fancy cardinals, duds, fogles,
castors and crabshells, driz and dobbins
Oftentimes on pradback, peter-hunters with rooks
go out a prigging yokuffs from the rattlers
Nob-pitchers take in the flats at prick in the garter
or nail the swell’s montra in the push
Togged out to the nines, a scamp with sticks tobies a rumble-tumble
and makes a bolt afore the bum-traps come
Seedy screwsmen speak to square cribs for all the wedge
then wack the blunt
Leary of death-hunters, resurrection-coves sting the kirk by darky
not when Oliver is in town
Rank knucks unslour the rag-gorgy to frisk his kickseys
and fam the gory’s garret for his thimble
Blowens pick up a cull or queer mouth to work under the armpits
for the rough-fammy ere going to Ruggins
Dummy-hunters risk the darbies and quodding concern
by faking a go-alonger’s lill
Cutting-gloaks chiv your throttle for the whole dollop of dimmock
ere rowing in the boat for the regulars
The fence braces up the swag for the brads
and bugs over the rag to the buzz-gloaks
Michael Small
April 9-14, 2003
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