Kid Genius

Inspired by Peter Fitzsimons book: "Ballad of Les Darcy"

Les Darcy was a battler,

a bone rattler from Maitland,

Australia. He was a blacksmith

at fifteen, working the forge

and his forearms with gleeful

disposition. He fought and boxed,

stood toe-to-toe with the heavy

hitters, traded blows and blood

noses, broken teeth - all

with gleeful disposition.

He’d go twenty gruelling rounds

on a Saturday night down

in loud Sydney town: and win or

lose he rode the long train home

for morning mass on Sunday.

Les Darcy was fair dinkum! and

there was no way to sink him

to the canvas or the claret streaked

mud of world war one - like prime

minister hughes tried to do, and

did do! with a cowardly flick of

his wrist when he marched all

those other young men to

a war that was not theirs.

                                         yet

death took ‘em, just the same…

 

Les Darcy was a battler and

he copped a lotta flak from

the newspapers and

mash fed dogs down in loud

Sydney town because he

had the audacity! to

be under the legal age to

fight in a war that was not

his. Les Darcy was a bone rattler

from Maitland, Australia. died

in Memphis, Tennessee - aged

just twenty

One.

 

when he came back to his

native shore, they carried his

body through

a hero’s procession -

down in loud Sydney town

before, once more;..

the long train home.

 

 

 

 

 

Reviews

[Perdition]

Loved the way you ended this with a haunting track of mortality...train taking us all on that long ride home. It runs throughout the whole wonderful piece with a rare sense of colloquial air as if it wasn't meant to be written at all but rather spoken out in whiskey and fire. The Southern Cross beaming in wonderful backdrop.
Well told and "fair dinkum" as you put it so well..through and true~ Thanks!

[Earthstains]

There is such rich and luxurious story telling in this, an art long lost by most writers nowadays! Thank you, I was riveted!

[paddy d daly]

you're writing rings a bell, I know a bit about australia and world war 1, the turks and gallipoli and all that, i have never heard about the person you write about but what you write resonates with me.