A Dickens Of A Family Poem by Sheena Blackhall

Bozwas the eldest, Charles Culliford Dickens
Started in banking till bankruptcy called
Hired by his sire who salvaged his finances
His father saved him when destiny stalled

Mild Gloster was Mary, named after an aunt
Who died in her teens with her life half begun
No marriage for her, a perpetual virgin
A satellite circling her father, the sun

Lucifer Box, was Mild Gloster'syoung sister
Her father's favourite, both feisty and firey,
Kate wed Charles Collins, then Carlo, a painter
All three were artists, the cream of society

Young Skull, sonWalter was sent to the East
At sixteen, to India, an army cadet
He died of heart failure, ranked as a lieutenant
And left the world, literally drowning in debt

Chickenstalker, youngFrancis, sleepwalked, had a stutter
Worked in Bengal, and with Canada's police
Begged funds from his father, who saw him as feckless
A drinker, his death brought the family relief

Skittles or Alfred, a stranger to saving
To Australia sailed off, at his father's suggestion
He talked about literature, mainly by Dickens
And died, so it's said, of acute indigestion

Ocean Spectre was Sydney Smith Haddington Dickens.
A sailor, the cut of his jib it seemed fine
Went into debt like his brothers before him
Died of bronchitis, was dropped in the brine

The Guv'nor or Mr H., SirHenryDickens
A sportsman and scholar was called to the bar
His grand-daughter Monica, took up the pen
Mr H., whilst jaywalking was crushed by a car
Poor little Dora, she died of convulsions
Plorn was the last sibling, Edward by name
He sailed to Australia, a rabbit inspector
He died poor and childless, a guttering flame

How hard it must be to stand in a great shadow
A giant, a hero, an icon, a star!
Who'd be the child to endure such a future
Most, not worth the ash from their father's cigar?