I'm sure when I was young
The police cars went
“NEE NAH NEE NAH”
And the ambulance had a different tone
But maybe it was the other way round?
Didn't fire engines just ding-a-ling-a-ling?
A blast of energetic sound
Out of nowhere
Waking up the day
Now it's so commonplace
Hardly registers on the scale of awareness
Unless it's nearby
Or you're driving along
And - screech! - you have to pull aside
Adding anger and thirty seconds to the journey
Jim was feeling fragile today
Bones aching like mad
Too many cups of tea
He needed a wee
Put one aged foot in front of another
Tripped over himself
Bang
Crash
Bone
Smashed
Jilly (as she likes to be known)
Loves her fags
And a daily fry up
Well, you had to have something to look forward to, didn't you?
Ooh, she was feeling queer
Heartburn?
It will pass
A flushing heat in her left arm
Shooting up to her ear
Now fear was here
Nausea
Hardly surprising
Tightness gripped her
Heavy invisible bear hug
Don't panic!
Dial 999
That's weird, Mary thought
I could swear I heard a noise upstairs
She lived alone
Well, apart from the cat
But the cat wouldn't make the floorboards creak like that!
Oh God, no!
Was there only one?
How did he get in?
Did he have a knife?
Or a gun?
Those were definitely footsteps!
What if he was a rapist?
When would she be missed?
Taking no chances, she silently crept to the door
Fumbling the key into the lock, quietly
Though it seemed loud to her and took an age
Then made a dash for safety
Mobile in hand
John always went home this way
Got off the train then headed for
“The short cut”
Going under the subway was never fun
Especially in the winter when it was dark
But it meant getting home five precious minutes earlier
The odd dodgy character
Or snogging teens
Conspicuous in a suit he set his face forward
And looking neither left nor right
Minded his own business
“Mate?”
Oh no.
Ignore!
“Got a quid, mate?”
Tense, he walks on
Until the boot is planted in the small of his back
John stops in pain
Again and again
Boots and fists reign in
“RTA, two cars, one red, the occupant dead, one grey, the man and woman conscious, bloodied, trapped, an arm snapped, air bags failed to deploy, stay with me son, fire engine is on its way, keep awake…”
Beautiful
She's so beautiful
Hauntingly glorious
Calling to me
Beckoning me on with voiceless promises
Warming my heart
I smile an idiot's smile
A lemming
Entranced
Hypnotised
Her eyes destroyed me
Hooked, lined, sinkered
I fell
And I am glad
So glad, when I hear a police car
Or an ambulance
Or a fire engine
That it's not me
Not me led over the cliff
That was an adventure and a half
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