Talk Is Cheap! Poem by David Lewis Paget

He'd worshipped her since Primary School
And through to the later grades,
He'd carried her books at High School,
And envied her escapades,
She was in demand with her Uni friends
And went with more than a few,
But always said, to make amends,
‘I think I'll end up with you! '

So he waited for an eternity
For that all-committing kiss,
She plagued his dreams with what would seem
A life that would fill with bliss,
But she seemed to like her fun too much
And returned his engagement ring,
‘I don't think I'm ready for that, as such,
It's only a freedom thing! '

But he stayed content, he thought she'd relent
When her fun-filled friends all wed,
Until the day she blew him away
And dropped him, right on his head.
She married a wealthy businessman
Had taken a giant leap,
He said, ‘But you were promised to me, '
And she said, ‘Talk is cheap! '

But he bit his tongue, she was still so young,
And he nursed his sad regret,
Her husband, he was a ladies man
So things might work out yet.
He went to all of their parties, and
He ran all her errands too,
So when, of course, it came to divorce,
She said, ‘I'll end up with you! '

But she won a great big settlement,
And wanted to have some fun,
‘I've done that housewife thing to the hilt,
Don't stress, don't force me to run! '
‘You know I'd wait for eternity,
I'd walk to the stars for you,
I'd give my life to make you my wife.'
‘Well, do what you have to do! '

He hung about on the fringes while
She played with a whole new set,
She flirted, went on her binges, and
He found he was waiting yet.
He cried all over the invite that
Had seemed to come out of the blue,
‘We'd welcome you at the nuptials,
Of Elspeth and Gordon Drew.'

Gordon drove a fabulous Porsche
Worth over a hundred grand,
And John could only wave as they passed him,
Off to their fairyland.
But he followed along the old coast road
Though they left him in their wake,
At a hundred and twenty miles an hour
A second is all it takes.

He found them, hanging over the edge
Of the cliff at Dead Man's Tor,
A sudden move would help it to tip,
Crash down to the rocky shore.
‘Please help, you said you'd walk to the stars
For me, this cliff is steep.'
‘Too bad, ' he said, while walking away,
‘You should know that talk is cheap! '

18 November 2014