Monaco 1978.
Kicked In The Side.
I was kicked in the side
By a man with a smile.
His uniform and pistol
Gave him away.
A policeman
No name needed.
Just a boot and a smile.
More a grin!
Accented French.
“No sleeping here”
On a soft warm beach,
In Monaco.
Surrounded by the
Filthy rich,
And yachts by the mile.
Limos and porches.
A railway Europass
and about fifty quid.
kipping on the beach
With the rest of the skint.
A visa for emergency
Monaco!
Diamonds and ostentation.
And campsites three times the cost.
Me and two temporary companeros.
Irish lads with cheap rucksacks
Cheap as mine.
Drinking beers as the rich flew by.
Kicked awake its time to leave
Housing estate bank accounts
In big casino country!
Time to leave.
A farewell beer with the Irish
fellow itinerants.
Heading to Rome in a zig zag
Rag tag fashion.
Monaco via Montpellier and Marseille.
Had a shave at Pau
Outside in the sun
With a old man and razor blade.
So train time again
Genoa for the Italian air.
Not a lot of flair.
Piazza de Ferrari.
Seven popes
And Marco Polo.
But a lost place
A confused mix.
And Columbuses house.
Too industrial to stay.
But loads of dogs
All astray.
Loved it. Simple lines telling a story of the separation of the rich from the poor. The different ways such experience a place. Who is to say who is more fortunate? Ihave always thought extreme wealth removes one away from real experience into the world of fake everything. A walk down memory lane. The ‘kickers’ only on a pittance wage no doubt but uniform of any kind so often alters the way a person sees themselves. Something like the police in riot armour barging into ordinary people making a valid point in our major cities as I write….but I digress.… Read more »
Thank you so much, It was and is the privilege of the class divide to kick you in the ribs, wether its metaphorical or physical. The cop was just fulfilling his assignment for that night, I was glad to escape really, back to where I could talk to people without a posh car outside to justify myself, and the sight of all that ostentation meant nothing to me, it didn’t belong to me or my world. In later years when I learnt very good money I preferred Scandinavia for its non judgmental stance. Great memories hang gliding over fiords and… Read more »
Great flowing lines. Perhaps we’ll get to hear about your Scandinavian adventures in due time!
Thank you bhi. Yes maybe, I’ve much to draw on, if you wander across my bio you’ll have an idea. Scandinavia is a magical place and you can still feel the Norse gods.
A winner! We’ve all been there in our own way 🙂
So true, thanks mate. Yes there’s many ways to be kicked in the ribs.
Hi Mentalelf. I really enjoyed this. It is almost a parable.
So many things more worthy of memories than a kick in the ribs. I like that. [Your comment below.]
But you do talk about the dichotomy that exists worldwide, and which is based primarily on greed and an inability to share. What makes people think that they have a right to be ‘better’ than others, eh!
Like you, I would never join their ‘crowd’ – or whatever is the collective noun for the extreme ‘haves’. It would never sit right with me, nor would they. 😉
Allen
Yes its true the great social divide. But it’s everywhere, dreams of this pandemic bringing us closer together as a worlds people is turning to hocus pocus. I am grateful for your comments. Thank you.
The pandemic provided the opportunity to re-set our values – appreciate the worthwhile in life – care for one another… or ….
My kick in the ribs was under a mattress in an air raid shelter in Spitalfields – you had to be out before daylight…
Brilliant… have you written about it?
Nope – only remembered it from your comments – back in the 60s the boot and truncheon were the cops’ tools of choice – try begging!! you wouldn’t do it twice.
Youthful adventures on a shoestring. I would have called up Grace Kelly and got the cop sacked.
Chaurwoman, Hahahah yes, The cop was just doing his night shift protecting the rich from the great unwashed. They were great days really, and the Eurocard was amazing. Thank to for your reading of it.