A poem about living rough in West End aged around 13/14/15
West End adventures
I’m taking my old
usual route,
From Green Park to Leicester Square.
It’s been a long day
and night-time’s now here,
And my day on the beg has been fair.
I’m thinking of
something for me to do,
I’ve got sixty pounds
now here in cash.
There’s guys standing at
the corner of the Trocadero,
Selling the tourists some hash.
It’s not the first
time that I’ve tried to buy
weed,
But more often than not I’ve been skanked.
But once in a while, I trust a warm smile,
And I see that it’s good and their thanked.
But others will lead you, walking through Soho,
And lose you so they can buy crack.
And once out of sight, you know that their gone,
And you know that you won’t get your cash back.
But there in West End, it wasn’t all bad,
No matter how it sometimes seems.
You’d get some good
smokes, from South American blokes,
And the hippy entrepreneur Europeans.
And I never really liked to drink very much,
But maybe I’ll have whisky
today.
And maybe a meal from a train station restaurant,
And in the arcades I might play.
I might buy a camera, a disposable one,
And take some photos for back home.
Or I might even buy myself some new clothes,
Or maybe a mobile phone.
Could get a haircut, it’s only five pounds,
From the place up on Charing Cross Road,
Or just spend the whole night browsing the web,
In a net café if it rained or it
snowed.
I might spend the night, on Yahoo chat,
Being honest I live on the street,
And if I’m so tired, that I
am wired,
I’ll get an hour’s sleep on the seat.
Arm’s on the table,
head’s in my arm’s,
I’m in an
uncomfortable heap,
But the guard from the all night internet café,
Says “look mate soz you
can’t sleep”.
So I make my way past Trafalgar Square,
And start walking back to Green Park.
But I’ll sleep by the
road, where I know that I’m safe,
Cuz I don’t trust the perves
in the dark.
They already come to me in the day,
And say “I’ll give you twenty quid for a blow”.
But I’ll make sure I’m loud and shout “fuck off you perve,
I’ll do you in if you
don’t go”.
I’ll roar like a
lion, and make sure they’re runnin,
And chase them until they’re shit scared,
It’s because that I’m young and they think that I’m desperate,
But my pride is not to be spared.
It was good that an angel came and he spoke,
With a strong lasting message to me.
“You’ve got to stay wise, and look out for the guys,
Who’ll offer you some
gear for free”.
And indeed they came, a handful of times,
And each every time I’d say no.
And again I would roar, but I know that I’m young,
And half the time it was a show.
Still something in them, knew I was a kid,
And each every time they would go,
Without having a fight and they’d walk out of sight,
Knowing I wasn’t so slow.
There’s plenty of real
walking tragic life stories,
Walk past me all through the day.
It’s a ludicrous
business that’s open all hours,
But my life ain’t what I will pay.
Sometimes I’d sleep in
Leicester Square,
In a big doorway by the main street.
I’d try to get sleep,
but street cleaners would beep,
So I’d just chill or
find food to eat.
I’d always meet
people, that were no questions asked,
About answers I did not want to say.
Those people were friendly, by now I’d forgot,
That I even had ran away.
Sometimes I would walk, to Covent Garden,
To beg money and watch the odd show.
I knew I’d do well if I sat
by the cashpoint,
Cuz I rinsed it on my first go.
As always I would, be careful to be,
Looking out for the old bill.
And if they were coming, I’d soon hide my hat,
Be normal and try to be still.
As long as they don’t, hear me begging,
Not often anything they will do,
But my heart always beats, I want luck on my side,
And thank god when they’ve gone and passed through.
But if they do stop, to check who I am,
I give the same old story I make.
A false date of birth, and a quick made up name,
And hoping I don’t make a mistake.
I’ll pull on my
trousers, to expose my leg,
And say I’d been stabbed in
the thigh.
I know that it’s not, what is on my own record,
So I may as well give it a try.
Sometimes they would ask, if I was a name,
That came up on the police radio,
But I just shrugged my shoulders, and said that I weren’t him,
And most of the time they would go.
So then I’d pack up, in case
they’d walk back,
And then I’d walk off to some
place.
Because I don’t know still, if
the old bill,
Had once seen a snap of my face.
I’m somewhere by Bond
Street, still learning these streets,
And I’m not sure where
this backstreet goes.
But after a while, I’ll soon find my way,
To the doorway at Tokyo Joes.
Upon my return, sometimes I would find,
People had left me food to eat.
A bag full of pastries or a large cold ‘hot chocolate’,
From the staff in the café up the street.
It’s felt a good day,
whatever I’ve done,
I guess I enjoy that I’m free,
Got luck on my side, and not yet found my pride,
But for now this is where I will be.
Poetry written by Ben Westwood, Musician and poet. UK
Copyright Ben Westwood.
To view all fourteen current poems from this project click here.
Copyright Ben Westwood.
To view all fourteen current poems from this project click here.
Follow the true story of a young teenager
running away from home and the state, in a premature search for independence. In
poetry.
Making choices that often only a young mind would make, Ben tells his story and memories of being in the social services system from eleven years old, as well as 1990’s London street life, as a missing runaway sleeping rough.
From angels, predators, shocking times to heart-warming moments, Musician and now debut author Ben Westwood gives an insight into the mind of a rebellious-spirited youngster trying to find his own way in the world.
To order a signed colour copy you can order via paypal below.
The price is £18.99 including postage and packaging
Making choices that often only a young mind would make, Ben tells his story and memories of being in the social services system from eleven years old, as well as 1990’s London street life, as a missing runaway sleeping rough.
From angels, predators, shocking times to heart-warming moments, Musician and now debut author Ben Westwood gives an insight into the mind of a rebellious-spirited youngster trying to find his own way in the world.
To order a signed colour copy you can order via paypal below.
The price is £18.99 including postage and packaging
