Dad

Things were still rationed, but now dad was home.
In the garden weeding, turning over the loam.
Pigeon in his loft, I had to clean and feed.
Raced, sometimes they would succeed.

Flowers dad grew in the garden by the road;
Chrysene, the Mum, Dahlias of which he showed.
At least two had to be the same,
Lots more to this flower showing game.

The main type shown flowered like a ball,
Shown mainly in the nearby scouting hall.
The main crops he grew were vegetables;
All sorts of things just for our table.

Of course, there were the chickens we had,
The eggs we got, we were really glad.
In those days chicken was a very dear meat,
To have one on Sunday was by way of a treat.

A couple of other meats we had for our table.
Dad would 'poach them' whenever he was able.
Pheasant, hare or a wild rabbit, so tasty.
Before Myxomatosis, so don't get so hasty.

Rabbits were caught mainly with a wire snare;
In those days, gamekeepers, the only ones to care.
Pheasants! They were now another thing.
They were caught in a gin trap spring.

Now they're banned and I'm so glad,
Caught by a foot and injured bad.
Sometimes dad and I would go for a ride,
He'd point out bird droppings on each side.

Dad told me pheasants roost up in a tree,
Droppings tell us where they are likely to be.
We'll wait in pub till there's a darkening sky,
On the way home I would soon see why!

As we would approach the spot he would hand me his trusty steed,
Slowly, quietly, forward he would creep, finger on lips, hush to keep.
If he saw the bird was there, slowly and with the greatest care,
A hit next Sunday lunch; bird for our fare.

From his poacher's pocket, fetch his wooden catapult.
Twang! Thump! Got it! Accurate to a fault!
Into his pocket that game bird would go,
A special pocket so the prize would not show.

Then it was hung behind the coal house door;
A couple of days or often several more.
Given the job, boiling water I'd plunge the bird in,
When plucking it, it saved ripping the skin.

I didn't care for it as a roasted meal,
Best casserole is how I'd always feel.