Saturday, March 19, 2011

A Gay Old Goblin - the one that got Mike so incensed!

I've been thinking about Mum a lot this week.  On St. Patrick's Day three years ago I got a call from my brother, Mike, to say Mum was in hospital.  Another call later that week came from my brother, Ed.  He revealed that she was very, very sick.  We lost her two months later.

Mum... on one of her many travels. 
I will never, ever regret those two very rushed trips back to England that spring to spend some very precious time with her.  I had always admired Mum's strength and her amazing attitude towards life. But in those few short weeks we spent together I also witnessed her incredible spirit.  It shone through and that spirit gave me the greatest gift of all... the gift that allowed me to say goodbye to her without sadness.  It will be with me forever.


OK... now to the Gay Old Goblin bit.  When Mike and I were going through Mum's things after she passed, we found several super little poems. She loved to write and I know she would have been a great blogger!  I've already shared a couple of her poems, including the one in my blog In the Eyes of the Vice Squad, which shows Mum's great sense of humour.  Well, here's the original tale... the one that got my brother so incensed!


The Uninvited Guest
by Josie Summers Pywell Scott

Party time in Fairyland, the birthday of their Queen.
Such excitement you can guess and food you've never seen!
Tiny buttercup buns and fairy cakes and teeny cups of dew.
The elves were having bee rides and beetle races too.

The frogs and toads so happy, leaping high on the grass.
A fairy band was playing tunes on instruments of reed, not brass.
Suddenly a great shadow was cast over those laughing faces.
They gasped with fear and all were glued in their places.

It was Grumpy the hideous goblin, waving his big knobbly stick!
"Why wasn't I invited to the party?" he roared... the dandelion clock didn't tick.
You see, fairies are all very timid, dainty, fragile and weak,
But up came a brave young pixie who wasn't afraid to speak.

"The invitation must have got lost in the post, but as you're here, won't you stay?"
What a big surprise everyone had in fairyland that day,
When the goblin came to their party and stayed to dance and play. 
He wasn't just a bent and grumpy old man, he really was quite gay!

He gave piggy back rides to the pixies and swings to the fat little gnomes.
He danced and did tricks till they were in fits, and then it was time to go to their homes.
He waved them off so sadly, they too were sorry to say goodbye.
They thought they would never see a big bad goblin cry.

The Fairy Queen flew over to him, she called "Come dry your tears.
Please come to all our parties for the next ten thousand years!"



And here's the one Mum wrote after Mike went through her innocent little poem with his editing pen.. 

In The Eyes of the Vice Squad

I was writing a tale the other day
- a sweet, an innocent one
At least that's what I thought it was
- until picked up by my son

"You're sending this... To the Church magazine!
- Mother, are you going mad!!
I'll have to go right through this
- you really are too bad.

"Very lucky for me I saw it
- just in the nick of time
If this stuff fell into the wrong hands
- I would probably have to resign!"

"What are you going on about?"
- I was quite unable to see...
"This highly inflammable story you've done
- full of homosexuality!

Now here, you can't have a Queen
- it will have to be a King!
You can't possibly have all the 'Fairies'
- and out goes the 'Fairy Ring'

What's this you've put!? 'Bent old man'!?
- a criminal! That's out!
Your "Gay" old goblin must go too
- that's what it's ALL about!

"Mother! "waving his big nobbly stick!"
- now that it out - but quick!
For that has sexual meaning
- you really are quite thick!

Now this bit here - oh no!
- leaping high on grass!
You've even pulled the drug scene in
- there's nothing I can pass."

So, here I am, left with my story
- what's left of it you see
A pixie - An elf - A toadstool
- and a very bewildered ME!

Jose Summers and her dog, Sam