Thomas Hoskyns Leonard Blog: PRIDE (Poem)

Wednesday 17 June 2015

PRIDE (Poem)

PRIDE

by Thomas Hoskyns Leonard

^Tom

They wasted four hundred and thirty million,

Well nigh close to half a billion,

On that wretched Parliament building

As the corrupt made a killing.

And on its steps we met

Without raising a sweat,

Divas, smart-arses, swingers, trannies, and dykes galore

Ever ready to be prima donnas and take the floor;

All queer as folk,

And dear as any folk,

Including some gentle folk of baulk;

A festive occasion,

A family resuscitation,

As Mums, Dads, and siblings joined the merry throng;

Oh, dearie me! What had I done with my thong?

My San Francisco t-shirt

Was as long as a fancy boy's skirt,

And 'I'm gay and I'm heading for Heaven'

That's what my naff placard said.

"Hey, old man!' cried a smiling cute-arsed policeman,

"Why don't you go home to bed?"

With a flick of his fingers,

And without ever a fret,

Brett the beginning of the procession processed,

With a glance at the clowns and malingerers,

As two elves into the bushes digressed.

John Hein emitted an inviting whine,

In his snazzy suit looking gingerly fine,

And up the Canongate we headed

To the grand cause united and wedded,

Like queens in petticoats travelling to their fate

As ever in fear of being bullied and hung from a gate.

At the World's End, I imagined the old Netherbow Port

Straddling the cobbles, but that came to nought;

When the crowd surged upwards into Old Embro,

I tucked in my shirt, and went with the flow,

As we t'wards St. Giles Cathedral did merrily go,

Then opposite City Chambers we paused

As the speech makers on the Mercat dug in their claws

And the rainbow flag flew proudly high in the sky;

We've made it to freedom, I realised, wondering how and why!

The people on the pavement applauded and gawped,

The young, the elderly and the somewhat time warped,

As left at the Bridges we swivelled and turned;

Oh for a nice cuppa tea, I snizzled and yearned.

But Teviot Row House soon came into view,

And there we dug into the freebies

Played with the birds and the bees,

Always out for the opportunity to seize,

And listened to the wealthy head of Gay Men's Health,

Taking his cue and exacting his due;

Great for the many, and all praise to the few.

Composer's Note (20th June 2015): While I have just returned intact from this year's

Pride March, the poem refers to the previous march, in 2014