KINCHEN FOR THE HALTER

   i  wuz

born devil

brung up bad

a norphan,  me

lord, wiv no famly

cept cly-fakers n old

prigs    i wuz a good buz

in London    traffickin in back

-parlours  at doors of spells we’d

‘ustle a rum stall in the push    i useter

draw a reader or wiper from the cly of ‘is

petersham,   ramp ‘im of ‘is montra from ‘is

garret n sting a swell mollisher for ‘er ‘addock

stuffed with beans,  fancy articles,  frisk ‘er cly for

‘er  fogle, pick the marks out wiv a needle    they wuz

prime flats    i fenced the swag for a few quid but i wuz a

rank spoon in them days an’ out-an’-out at staines    one darky,

when Oliver was down, me n me palls wuz wackin’ the blunt in some

lush-ken  lawks, some cross-cove must’ve blown upon us and give music

to the traps  an ‘orney wuz staggin’ us n done call the rollers  i wuz knapped

  seven pen’worth  for puttin’ me forks down  n  causin’ devil  n  all  ov trouble

                          Michael Small                January 24-28, 2004