Jim Ferguson

fifty-one

for Marion & Eve

now that we are fifty-one

many things done and others not

still we don’t want to be caught

on our deathbeds with regrets

how we recall our smoking teachers

belting us for doing the same

and it was meant to be better if we were talking

the Inglish of the Queen

rather than our West of Scotland ‘slang’

which wasn’t allowed in the classroom then

unless of course it was Rabbie Burns

his auld language was fit to be taught

but the language of our parents

of our homes and of our streets

most definitely was not deemed fit

for the expression of finer thoughts

now that we are fifty-one

we’re free almost from that

at least

wir almost free frae that

Jim Ferguson © 2013