Tags
Alex Carr-Malcolm poetry, Alexandra Carr-Malcolm, betting, poetry, poverty, UK poet, Uk poetry, Victory, Yorkshire poet
I saw an old man
dance a jig,
with betting slip,
waved as his flag.
With tombstone teeth
and nicotine nails,
long matted hair
and yellow wolf eyes.
His dirty clothes,
shone black with smoke,
his fragrance that of
proudest poverty.
I saw an old man
dance a jig today,
clutching victory,
by the betting shop door.
© Victory 2012
By Alexandra Carr-Malcolm
Russel-Morgan Print of a Tramp smoking cigar with cane over arm (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Worldly Winds 
I like all of this, particularly the third stanza 🙂
🙂
Wonderful vivd image!
Thank you Jane 🙂 I was aiming for gritty and grimy 🙂
Great metaphors here. I love “tombstone teeth and nicotine nails”. Very effective and emotional.
Thank you 🙂
Great characterisation and turn of phrase in this delightful narrative poem. Nice work.
Thanks Mike 🙂
I could see the man well – with his “proudest poverty”!
…and he was proud, and very happy 🙂
I nominate you with a liebster award. Check it out on my web with award tag.
Oh thank you very much indeed – how very generous of you to think of me 🙂 Thank you 🙂 and congratulations to you too 🙂
Alex