Words That By The Wayside Fell Poem by Danny Draper

Words That By The Wayside Fell

Rating: 5.0


Deadest
Was a term when I was a lad
It meant to be honest or
An exclamation or incredulity.
I, realizing it dated me in my early
Adulthood, ditched it.

Far out
Was a mate of Deadset and often
An accompanying exasperation or
request for confirmation in astonishment,
but departed around the same time.

It's bad luck to be superstitious!
Was a phrase whose stead
I kept good company in my forties
Until my kids and those of friends
Made me realise my cynicism against
Untested home spun truths was cliche.

'Dog' as suffix
Carried me to my fifties
'Facedog', 'chipdogs' and 'fishdogs'
interchangeable with 'chickencats'
As non-descript pre-dementia
Couldn't care less welcome to aged
The world is full of generic merging
Into nothingness consumable stuff
Over which no care could be made
save to encompass all things bleakly.

How's ya belly where the pig bit ya?
A phrase old Cob Foy, my Grandads' mate
Greated us with as kids accompanied
by a gentle pinch of the belly
Obscure and bizarre, confronting, harmless,
Implicit child molestation in brave modernity.

Gig
A word I have retained throughout
Entertained me in my drunken youth
By bands in pubs and different jobs
Friends moving house or parties
Applied to shows and plays in time
In opera houses and theatres too
I do not abandon a hungry desire for
Grey matter teasing distractions
Nor welcome some distant fate
As a discarded tired phrase.

Danny Draper 26/9/2013

POET'S NOTES ABOUT THE POEM
Some words and phrases move through out lives
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Susan Lacovara 21 October 2013

Every now and again, I catch myself saying some outdated, tarnished relic of a phrase... and I know so, by the upturned looks, of my nieces and nephews...then a conversation erupts...trying to find a suitable description, definition, and new age translation, for my lost language! ! ! ! Thought provoking write, much enjoyed

1 0 Reply
Patricia Grantham 04 October 2013

Yes I do remember some of those old terms that was used. The youth nowadays have a complete set of terms. Most of them I have never heard of. To young for me i guess. Thanks for the memories.

1 0 Reply
Lyn Paul 30 September 2013

Different words for different Aussie states... I am still using far out and Gig yet the others I have not heard of. I think the youth today follow eachother too much. Love your words

1 0 Reply
Valsa George 29 September 2013

During certain stages of life, knowingly or unknowingly, some words and phrases creep into our vocabulary and we are likely to use them very often or may develop a special interest for them. But as we shift into another stage of life, we notice that those words, we no longer use. But a few may continue to interest us through out our life. A unique theme for a poem! Enjoyed! !

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Danny Draper

Danny Draper

Kiama, New South Wales, Australia
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