Wednesday 25 July 2012

Words From The Archives: #2 The Boy

Continuing on from last week, here's another old one I have drawn for.
Again, I wrote this during the 1st term I did back in 2009 with The Roundhouse Poetry Collective guided by Polabear. We were specially asked to write a piece, from the 3rd person, purely descriptive and without giving a voice to the characters thoughts.The Leisure centre and snooker room I was trying to describe was based on the old Crawley Leisure Centre, which is now long since gone and made way for a new build development.  
This was still around the time when I used to write entirely in capitals. 



3RD PERSON (THE BOY)


THE BOY WALKS THROUGH THE AUTOMATIC DOORS
TAKING NOTE OF THE WHITE STICKER'S ON BOTH DOORS,
THEY SAY "AUTOMATIC DOORS"
AS BOTH DOORS GO TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT RESPECTIVLY 
THE PARTING OF THE DOORS LIKE THE PARTING OF THE SEAS


THE SMELL OF CHORLINE HITS HIS NOSE,
AND THE DISTANT NOISE OF ADOLESCANT SCREAMS
TICKLES HIS EARS DRUMS


DRESSED IN JEANS AND A JUMPER
THE JUMPER FAILING TO DISGUISE THE EXCESS WEIGHT ROUND HIS WAISTE
HARDLY THE ATTIRE OF A LESIURE CENTRE GOER
HE HEADS FOR THE YOUNG LADY AT THE RECEPTION DESK


THE LADY BEHIND THE DESK,
DRESSED,
IN A SPORTS POLO AND TRACKSUIT BOTTOMS
ANSERWS THE BOYS REQUEST,
TO COMMANDEER THE SNOOKER TABLE FOR THE NEXT 2 HOURS


THE BOY COLLECTS,
THEN INSPECTS
THE BLACK TRAY OF SPINNING BALLS,
2 QUES AND A BLOCK OF CHALK
AS HIS PODGY FINGERS PART WITH HIS CASH


THE BOYS TAKES A GLANCE BACK,
 TOWARDS THE ENTRENCE THEN HE DRAWS A DEEP BREATH


THE YOUNG LADY BEHIND RECEPTION,
THEN BEGINS TO ISSUE THE INSTRUCTIONS,
DIRECTING THE BOY TO THE SNOOKER ROOM
BEFORE SHE HAS EVEN FINISHED,
THE BOY IS A QUATER OF THE WAY UP THE STAIRS


FACE CONCENTRATED LIKE A MAN ON A MISSION
HOLDING THE TRAY FULL OF SPINNING BALLS
LIKE A WAITER BALANCING A DELICATE PLATE
THE BOY MAKES HIS WAY


HE WALKS DOWN A CORRIDOR
THROUGH THE BROWN FIRE DOOR  DOUBLE DOORS
AND OUT ONTO THE NEXT CORRIDOOR
WHICH SERVS AS A PROMENADE
OVER LOOKING THE SWIMMING POOL


THE BOY LOOKS OVER THE EDGE,
4 VERICAL LINES OF SEGREGATION SLICE THROUGH THE POOL
PARTITNIONED ACCORDING TO LEVEL OF PRACTICE
THE LANE AT THE FAR END SEEMS TO CATCH HIS EYE,
BEGINNERS,
SMALL GROUPS OF MOTHERS AND FATHERS, 
SPLASHING ROUND WITH RELUCTANT  INFLATABLE ARM BAND CLAD KIDS
WHILST THE REST OF THE PEOPLE JUST GO UP AND DOWN, 
BACK AND FORTH


THE BOY JUST TUTS AND TWISTS
THE TWO SNOOKER QUES GRIPPED IN HIS RIGHT HAND,
AS THE PROMENADE ENDS,
AND JUST BECOMES ANOTHER STERILE CORRIDOR
3 WALLS TURNED BACK TO 4
ORDER RESTORED


THE BOY WALKS FORWARDS,
AND SEEMS TO IGNOIRE
THE POSTER CLAD WALLS OF KICKBOXAISE, KEEP FIT AND PILATES
UNTIL HE STOPES AT THE DOOR THAT INDICATES "ROOM 19, SNOOKER"


HE WALKS THROUGH THE DOOR AND ENTERS THE ROOM,
HE CASTS A GLANCE LEFT AND RIGHT
ALL HE SEES IS TWO FULL SISE SNOOKER TABLES,
DOMINATING THE SPACE


HE HEADS TO THE TABLE ON HIS LEFT
AND RESTING THE QUE'S UP AGAINST THE EDGE
HE PLACES THE BALLS AND CHALK ONTO THE GREEN FELT
THE BOY THEN HEADS TOWADRS THE SCOREBORAD,
AND THEN SLIDES ALL THE GOLD SQUARES BACK TO 0


HE WAITS
THEN HESITATES
HIS EYES MOVE BACK AND FORTH TOWARDS THE DOOR
THE BOY TUTS AND THEN MUMBLES AN EXPLITIVE
AND TAKES A RED BALL FROM THE TRAY,
AND LINES IT UP ON THE D


HE PLACES THE WHITE BALL,
AT THE OPPOSIYE END OF THE TABLE
AND ASSUMES HIS QUEING POSITION
THE BOY SMAHES THE WHITE TOWARDS THE RED
THE RED AND WHITE COLLIDE WITH FORCE
AND RIQUOET OFF INTO DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS


THE BOY THEN REPEATS THIS SEVERAL TIMES
WITH EACH STRIKE MORE AGGRESIVE THAN THE LAST
UNTIL FINALLY
HE MIS-QUES HIS LAST HIT
ONLY SKIMMING THE TOP OF THE WHITE BALL
THE WHITE THEN FEEBLY ROLLS TOWARDS THE RED
POSITIONED NEAR TO A CORNER AT THE FAR END
THE WHITE MISSES THE RED
AND ROLLS INTO THE EMPTY POCKET,
SUNK





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