Daily Poem Entries

Behold the Ripper

Behold the Ripper

This is how I murdered it, Ray Davies’ whiny voice objecting in my ear, the sounds of You Really Got Me fading into the background.

They put a parking lot on a piece of land
When the supermarket used to stand.
Before that they put up a bowling alley
On the site that used to be the local palais.
That's where the big bands used to come and play.
My sister went there on a Saturday.

Come dancing,
All her boyfriends used to come and call.
Why not come dancing, it's only natural?

Another Saturday, another date.
She would be ready but she's always make him wait.
In the hallway, in anticipation,
He didn't know the night would end up in frustration.
He'd end up blowing all his wages for the week
All for a cuddle and a peck on the cheek.

Come dancing,
That's how they did it when I was just a kid,
And when they said come dancing,
My sister always did.

My sister should have come in at midnight,
And my mum would always sit up and wait.
It always ended up in a big row
When my sister used to get home late.

Out of my window I can see them in the moonlight,
Two silhouettes saying goodnight by the garden gate.

The day they knocked down the palais
My sister stood and cried.
The day they knocked down the palais
Part of my childhood died, just died.

Now I'm grown up and playing in a band,
And there's a car park where the palais used to stand.
My sister's married and she lives on an estate.
Her daughters go out, now it's her turn to wait.
She knows they get away with things she never could,
But if I asked her I wonder if she would,

Come dancing,
Come on sister, have yourself a ball.
Don't be afraid to come dancing,
It's only natural.

Come dancing,
Just like the palais on a Saturday.
And all her friends will come dancing
Where the big bands used to play.

And now that the deed is done and to make it easy, here’s the result of all that slashing:

On a piece of land
They used to play
My sister on a Saturday
Would be ready
In anticipation
They did it
My sister did
In the moonlight
By the garden gate
The day cried
My childhood died
I'm grown up and
My sister's married
I asked her
Don't be natural
Saturday
Her friends will play.

Line Count: 17
Sorta free verse
For The Daily Poem: WdC Birthday Edition, Sept. 06 2020
Prompt: Redaction Poetry. I used The Kinks’ Come Dancing lyrics.