Copyright © 2005 Martin Newell Pepys 0.1 Blogware © Steve Dix
Marmalade Emma and Teddy Grimes
She had an eye for a fancy hat
Flouncy dresses, bohemian tat
Deep in her jacket she kept a cat
Marmalade Emma adored
Roses, ribbons and ostrich feather
Crowned her head in summer weather
Grimes and she fell in together
They were in accord
Their overcoats were old and frayed
Begging and blagging, the life they made
She had a passion for marmalade
Carried a brolly or stick
Grimes had hair that was matted, grey
Three gold earrings on display
The cap and coat of an emigré
Maybe a bolshevik
The Duke and Duchess of Dispute
Everyone knew who they were
She was devoted to him, though
And he was devoted to her
Slept where they fell, by the roadside
Or kipped on a barge by the Colne
But barring arrests, or hospital tests
Neither would sleep on their own.
Smoked her pipe where she made camp
Marmalade Emma, poor old tramp
Too many years in the cold and damp
Chest pains were her bounty
Hacking up in the hospital bed
Wouldn't part with the cat, she said
Sister locked it up in a shed
Behind the Essex County
Not much more than petty crimes
What they did in such harsh times
People didn't mind them
After his death was certified
Old Colne barge was where she died
She was buried by his side
Troubles long behind them.
Fruit Schooner
Fluttering flag of mad King George
Cargo of lemons from the far Azores
Back to the glad green English shores
Chased by the high white clouds
Home in an Essex schooner
Couple of weeks or sooner
Lemons wrapped in a corn-cob shell
Packed and loaded in São Miguel
Ship on the North Atlantic swell
Fleeter than any at sea
Home in a fast fruit schooner
Home to the Hythe and home betimes
Back from the Indies with boxes of limes
Westerly, carry St Leonard's chimes
Into the cold blue sky
Cinnamon, clove and mace
Pushed by the trade winds' grace
Up Back Lane with a parakeet,
Rum for the cook and spice for the meat
Christmas oranges light the street
Kissed by the waning sun
Home in an English schooner.