I Speak in Kingsley

I walked up and down
through the town, and round and round
and wondered what to say and why to say it

Then I purposed with an air
of sureness, and took care,
That when I did it, saying said it, I would say it.

Unfortunately it didn't work out like that
because I stubbed my toe
And said some other things instead,
which didn't really go,
I was quite embarrassed and my mother, she was too
And I really couldn't think of what I ought to do-
to break the silence that I started, so:

                                                        I screamed:
                      "Oh look, ohh look behind you!"
                      So they did, and when they had,
I took off running down the street
the pit pat padding of my feet
was all I heard besides my panting
'till I heard a train man chanting
"All aboard for Kingsley Station, time to go, the train is waiting"

So I climbed in and took a seat, nonchalantly trying not to attract attention;
which I can do quite well
(unless I stub my toe)
and the train started to go.

So I waited, looking out of the window as we went,
my foot going clackety clack,
my mind keeping time with the train,
and it started to rain

I was finally starting to calm down when we came to the next station,
and who do you think was waiting
with my mother
to get on the train?

I considered my solutions,
and came to my conclusion,
and operating smoothly I got into the toilet compartment,
waited till we started, pulled the cord and the alarm went -
ringing
"Stop the train" the cry went up,
the brakeman working frantically, a scraping screaming sound,

and stop we did! Stopped dead on the tracks
Nobody knew why so after a while we went again,
with a chuff chuff sound, and I carefully jumped out
landing softly on the ground, but as I stood and rose to my height,
past me went a window, and there, pressed to the glass,
were the faces of my mother and her three friends

Sam Liddicott
March 1992