From May-Hem in Westminster to July Calm in Westgate
Imagine my horror, one fine-seeming day,
The 4th one in Feb., as the shorteners say,
The Saturday when Jones’s England beat France –
It continued old wars, fought with Sword and with Lance.
Imagine, I say, in ‘The Apple and Crate’ (sic!),
Brian Raincock’s stern words, ‘It is well past the date
To say ‘no’… since your name is already linked in
For this year’s Street Party. To decline is a sin.’
St Peter, when told, at the Gates that are Pearly,
Might ensure Non-Admission into that Hurly-Burly
Which surely exists in the Elysian Field,
When Heaven to Hell must occasionally yield!
What a splendid idea, at this point of the season,
A Party to hold – without RHYME (?), without REASON –
Except the fine CONCEPT that brings us together,
In Pain and in Pleasure – and in all sorts of Weather!
We’re proud to be known as those blankety-blank Residents
For whom Mutual Enjoyment will always take precedence.
We thank you fine leaders and many ‘to boot’ –
Why the Hell didn’t Milton write ‘also’, the coot!
We thank Brian, we thank Nikki, and those who assisted –
For security reasons not all can be listed!
But into their efforts they’ve put Heart and Soul –
Have Annette, and Kathryn, and Helen, and Noel.
* And late-comer Sophie, who’s helped at the bar.
Lets give the applause… for each is a star.
It’s well-known that Couplets, like Psalms, say, or Hymns,
Sound better in the wake of a surfeit of PIMMS!
Poem recited at the WESTGATE STREET PARTY held on 2nd July 2017, the day after the great Lions’ victory in Wellington – and in the presence of one Kiwi cap!
Hubert Doggart
* Observant listeners-cum-readers will notice that I have cheated by including a fresh couplet! I forgot, I fear, to ask for applause on the day!
RESPONSE BY THE CHAIRMAN, DR RICHARD BROWNFIELD
“Dear Hubert, thank you for your verse,
And if some rhymes are quite perverse,
We do enjoy to hear your ode
Every time we shut the road,
We wait with pleasure for your words
With booming voice to scare the birds,
We like to hear your inner thought
In perfect English as you taught.
This year there was no special time
To help you concentrate your rhyme,
But with your usual skill and flair
You caught the moment in the air,
And so, we all enjoyed the party,
And send to you our thanks most hearty.”
Richard