the gothic line

By celticman

Tue, 17 May 2016
  • 3257 reads
12 comments
 

Dinner begins with a closed door

Smell of mince and totties

Worse than the dentist’s chair

Shut-up and sit over there

Plate piled high as a rabbit hutch

Dig in. You can never have too much

Da scoffs milk on the turn

His lip never curls

Fish flaking and boiled grey

Slaps out white meat

A piece of Mothers Pride

Disdains a fork

Attacks life with a knife

Stand up. Be proud.

Catholic. R.C. thump on the chest.

The only way to be

Those orange bastards

Brought up, again and again

The Gothic line

Side of mouth chant and spittle

Get Macnamara on the blower

That was his rant

You’d eat it if it was sweets

Wouldn’t you?

Wouldn’t you?

I’m talkin to you.

You listenin?

The Gothic line.

 

Certificate PG
Poem
A room with a Glasgow View
Biography

Comments

Submitted by Kurt Rellians on

Effective depiction of a traditional Glasgow meal in your childhood? or a typical childhood? I can imagine the scene well. What does the term the Gothic line mean? Is it the line between catholics and protestants?

Submitted by celticman on

No it's quite obscure. It's a line where many soldiers died in Italy during the Second World War. 

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

feeling alightly sick after reading this...so a really effective pen portrait. I'm also not sure about the gothic line - maybe use something a bit less obscure?

 

Submitted by celticman on

I'll use my heid insert, that's the most obscure place I know. cheers. 

 

Submitted by Deliberately Ev... on

Very sensory poem - lots of tastes and smells. Brilliantly described.

The beat of your heart is the mellifluent rhythm to my soul.

Submitted by celticman on

cheers accidentally...

 

Submitted by hilary west on

Hi,

I didn't know what the Gothic line was either, so glad to get that explained. Interesting diatribe on the meal as insert says, quite effective.

HW   smiley

 

Submitted by celticman on

cheers Hilary. 

 

Submitted by VeraClark on

Full of discomfort. I like the Gothic line reference, it brings weight to it.

 

Submitted by celticman on

thanks Vera, mental doodling. 

 

Submitted by jeand on

Hi CM

Good poem. Food in my childhood was always a treat - although it was simple enough. But religion and family values were also drummed into us. And mealtime was the time to do it.

Jean

Jean Day

Submitted by celticman on

food is the poetry Jean, if you know what I mean?