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Drummer
by
Rusty Broadspear
Spotty
Johnny played the drums
On shop counters, his knees,
And on the back of seats,
On buses and trains.
Had long greasy hair
Atop a skull
That held no brains.
Spotty Johnny's only friend
Was Ginger Baker from Cream
They'd never met.
But Johnny spoke to Ginger often,
Thought it was real,
Wasn't aware it wasn't what it seems.
Johnny was fidgety,
Love/hate fingers tapped rapidly
To silent rhythm.
And the strutting lead got screams,
And the rest of the band
Played with him.
Spotty Johnny wasn't a loser,
Not in his world.
He was the backbone,
Without him, they'd be jelly in a bucket,
They'd be lost and alone.
Spotty Johnny got off the bus,
The couple who'd sat in front,
Sighed contentment.
Johnny loved his sense of rhythm
But for people general,
Felt resentment.
Walking the pavement
He heard the beat need......
He swung on one foot
And thrashed the hi-hat,
Stopped. His other foot
Pounded the bass.
He heard his very own ring shots
And then
Rolled right through
The best set in the world.
Johnny was on a roll
With his best girl
And the Sun beat down
On his back,
He was on track
As the crowd gasped
Stood back.
The spotlight burnt,
Johnny was in a world of his own,
He'd grown.
His flailing hands
Flipped bushes
That grew over walls.
He swirled, twirled,
Stomped
And thrashed them skins.
And the enemy was afraid,
They sidestepped
Thinking drugs or nutter.
On their mobiles.
Oblivious Spotty Johnny,
Was reaching crescendo,
Into it,
Out of it.....................
As the police car pulled to the curb.
Spotty Johnny handcuffed
Fingers drummed his knees
And Spotty Johnny
Cried................
He sought recognition
And didn't know it.
All was not well
With Spotty Johnny
As he sat hunched in his cell.
He had no one..............
Only Ginger Baker...........
And they'd never met.
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