Old Johnny Matt

I know not my father, I know not my mom,

No brother, no sister, no family, no home.

A guitar, some clothes, a rucksack and a hat,

All these I got from old Johnny Matt.

Old Johnny was a bit loony, he was so old,

He had nobody to speak to, but had a heart of gold.

He took me, Titus, in and fed me some bread,

Showed me a tiny corner, to sleep on a bed.

Old Johnny was so good, he taught me guitar,

Strumming and drumming, adding beats to our bar.

We stood on the sidewalk, busking, mane insane,

Crowds gathered around us, all way down the lane.

Old Johnny loved me, there was never a blot,

We cooked together, and walked a lot.

The days were magical, I would forget them not!

Nothing can match them, not even tons of ingot.

Old Johnny, I loved him, he was my dear old king,

He didn’t call me “son”, but he gave me his ring.

Merry and joyful, my heart was so warm,

I hugged dear Johnny, who was but calm.

Old Johnny grew old, as days flew by,

Frail did he go, he had days to count by.

He called me to his bed, took his hand did I,

He gave me a locket, painted a golden dye.

“Open it, after my life”, Old Johnny said,

Tears stung my eyes, I kept them instead.

With him I was, day and night.

Singing songs to him, cheering him up bright.

On a rainy September night, Old Johnny was gone,

I laid him in a coffin, made of glass that sparkling shone.

I buried him in Blackpool, next to Mr. Brushwicks,

And sat down on the edge, so gloomy, in a fix.

I took out the locket, pried apart the wings,

I saw two tattered photos, of me and my king,

Out fell a paper, doodled with red hearts,

In it was written, “I love my son, Titus, my dearest of them lot."

Reviews

[Dinesh Sairam]

A very enjoyable read at general glance. But there are some grave fallacies like forced rhymes, forced metaphors and incoherent rhythm. I'm putting this here because, not many around here care to look at the above said corrections.. but they are there.

I'm sure the correction would make the piece a whole lot better, while also enabling the reader to go through it easily. Good luck.

Keep writing.

[A Black Rose]

What a lovely poem.I like the flow.A poem but yet a story. Thank you for sharing.:)

[Amelie]

A timeless piece of father and son memoir, written in a cunning, contemporary fashion. This bittersweet tale curled a smile on my cheeks, thank you for sharing this lovely poem my friend :)

[The Pain Stays Fresh]

This is so good! I love the end. Very well done.

[eeoopig]

This is sad, yet beautifully written. It tells a good story - I love it :)

[...]

This tugged at my heartstrings...beautiful story!!!

[Eve]

Your poetry has such an innocent beauty to it, It's almost as if I can see the life behind it , nugging it to grow and florish like a baby bird from the nest, testing it's wings before flight. I thought this poem was delightful.

[Tate Morgan]

Stunning absolutely beautiful

[Distant horizons]

Beaitifully told. Wonderful tale.