Tag Archive: Roger McGough


IF THE WORLD ENDS AT LUNCHTIME

roger-mcgough_jm9gjIf the Ancient Mayans were right

then this will be my last post.

If so, then all that remains is for me

to say ‘Farewell cruel world’ and I’ll

sign off  with an appropriate poem

by Roger McGough.

If not – I’ll see you tomorrow!!

AT LUNCHTIME by Roger McGough

When the bus stopped suddenly
to avoid damaging
a mother and child in the road,
the younglady in the green hat sitting opposite,
was thrown across me,
and not being one to miss an opportunity
I started to make love.

At first, she resisted,
saying that it was too early in the morning,
and too soon after breakfast,
and anyway, she found me repulsive.
But.when i explained
that this being a nuclearage
the world was going to end at lunchtime
she took off her green hat,
put her bus ticket into her pocket
and joined in the exercise. Continue reading

SUICIDE ISN’T PAINLESS

The scene of the suicide- Il Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge), Cesena, Italy

Yesterday I saw a suicide victim. I didn’t actually see the woman jump but I passed the scene just minutes after.

She had left her shoes and sunglasses on the wall of Cesena’s old bridge before throwing herself off.

When I drove over,  the traffic was moving very slowly. Standing by the side of the road were a young man in full cycling gear and another woman who was probably on the way to the nearby market. At first I thought they were simply admiring the view but something in their expressions told me they had stopped for some other reason.

When I turned the corner, I saw more people were staring towards the bridge from both sides of the river bank.  I pulled over and saw they were gazing at a motionless figure lying face down on the flat rocks below the bridge. Continue reading

SURVIVOR by Roger McGough

Everyday
I think about dying
About disease, starvation,
Violence, terrorism, war,
The end of the world.
It helps
Keep my mind off things

From ‘Holiday On Death Row’ (Jonathan Cape, 1979)

Info about Roger McGough here

McGough reading the poem 40-love