ah heady days of youth!! they seem to have season tickets and have a litter
problem on Everest now -thanks P
-----Original Message-----
From: Max Richards
Sent: Wednesday, October 28, 2015 3:19 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: 'Coronation Year Skills '
Coronation Year Skills
Edmund Hillary and co. were back
from ‘conquering Everest’ - all
New Zealand glowed with pride,
wanting to hear him - and we did.
The whole school attended the event -
other schools were there in force.
He was mild, soft-spoken - one of us,
also athletic and determined.
He praised the Sherpas, as we
would have done. It pleased him
that the Brits had run the show,
choosing him for his climbing skill,
He’d knocked it off in Coronation
Year! That topped it off;
the same year that began my life
in ballroom dancing, practicing
the new ‘Queen Elizabeth Waltz’.
Cousin Marie, my age, said:
‘Join! it’s cheap, it’s Friday night.
I and my friends will ease you in.’
John from my class was in
already, the walk was short
from his place to the back-garden
dance-shed of our instructor.
We went together. Oh, the pain!
dressed in new ‘strides’, stiff shirts,
hair Brylcreemed down. John
it suited, his black shoes shone.
Biking to his place I was in a sweat,
worse now in the bright-lit room
thronged with girls in skirts and blouses,
and smart shining hair - their feet
I knew I’d tread on, red-faced. Don’t
look down, smile! listen and respond!
And learn the foxtrot and the waltz!
All much too hard. Marie helped,
her friends had been alerted. Others
made me freeze, falter and stumble.
The gramophone was old, our teacher’s
records scratched, except the new one:
da-da da-da da-di-da -
the Queen Elizabeth Waltz.
All winter we practiced. Round
and round, skirts swirled, dizzying.
She’d have been proud, Her Majesty.
Others may have got to some ball
and done it to live music - I’d
be on my bike skulking elsewhere.
Once only there was a school dance.
Thank you, dear old cousin, for kind
attendance with your friends.
Next year - was it? - waltzing was eclipsed -
Hillary’s country! - swept out everywhere.
Rock and roll - American - swung in there.
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