mentalelf. Philk.

Butlins Filey 1960 something.

by mentalelf. Philk.

Thursday 28th February 2019 8:01 pm

The shed smells of shit

Its not a shed its a chalet

Its boxed happiness

Its freedom

From desolation

Its a summery

Destination

With a swimming pool

Full of polio

Cold shivering

skinny kid

Its the place

We leap

Like national sheep

Laughing in unison

Drunken fornication

Shimmering castigation

We were all happy

Happy happy happy

To crowd together

Whatever the weather

Cause it was meant

As social sophistication

For a working mans

Nation

Yer dads having a pint

You can have a coke

Mums having a cuppa

While she has a smoke

Parades and dances

Holiday romances

Tom fools prances

Late to bed

After those in red

With painted smiles

Said welcome

And handed us

a badge from hell

What else to say

I couldn’t sleep

The bed was different

And I didn’t

like the smell.

🌷(2)

◄ Ah' Chris mate. 8th June 1982.

Shame ►

Comments

Wayne McLellan

Wed 24th Apr 2019 23:27

Pontins in Prestatyn in the 70's was my first holiday camp experience. Still not sure if the barbed wire on the perimeter fence was to keep unwanted visitors out or to keep the paying guests in?

raypool

Thu 28th Feb 2019 21:45

Those old camps were really variants on the internment camps with a sort of circumscribed expectation; my first was in 1950, the one that appeared on Hi de Hi. There was still barbed wire and mines on the beaches. I love that line boxed happiness, A smell of disinfectant pervaded. Outside toilets with large gaps under the doors. I had constipation all the time I went to them.

Years later as a muso I often played in them. Cardboard palm trees and Lloyd loom chairs.

Excellent poem so true to life.
Ray

<Deleted User> (18980)

Thu 28th Feb 2019 20:41

For me it was Warners on the Isle of Sheppey, and glutton for punishment we went two years on the run, me and three mates.

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