Granny

Grateful widow

Granddad

East Yorkshire Regiment

Misogynist with

Drink and fists

Uncle George

Uncle Ernie

Uncle Fred

Coldstream guardsmen

Aunty Frieda hard working mam

Aunty Jenny shop boss

My dad Dave

Uncle Tommy

In the shipyards

Mum a seamstress

Till I appeared 

Ernie war hero

George boxing hero

Fred docking hero

Dad my hero

Granddad bare 

knuckle antihero.

 

But we all

Learned from 

Granddad

How to fight

George pro boxer

Three punches

Three men down

Dad rattled my teeth

Like his dad had his

Knocked out a few

Blokes who’d ask’d

For it

Me

Young 

fishing

Argument

Take him behind 

The funnel

And punch fuck

Out of him.

Then come back

And gut

How granddad

Settled things

How George 

Settled things

How dad

Settled things

How I learnt

To settle things

 I floated near

An abyss

 

Then things changed

Then I had

A son.

Then I realised the 

Futility

Of shared 

Stupidity

And my son

learnt love

And how

Not to fight

unless

Queensbury style

With honour and

Respect

And his stories  

Broke the mould

No longer

Was the families

literal

Punchline

After every story

 

“…..So I hit Him”.