A Boy’s Saturday Night

2022-09-01 - A poem by George Bruce OBE MA Poem courtesy by The Scottish Poetry Library

In summer the sky

Was lit late.

Nearby the beach

Were stalls, swing boats,

Gold horses of wood Or bright red chair-o-planes And mechanical music.

A boxing booth.

‘Boys half price for the boxing.’ The fishermen spent money here.

Here Rob Burke was at work Taking all comers

Till dark.

He put the finger of his glove

To his flat nose, snorted, And then spat.

Short work was made of Our Tom Scott.

We saw even the dust rise. Outside the land was black. ‘That’s queer’ I said,

‘Sea’s lit - like a lamp.’