I am very confused as only yards

From here somebody lies dead

I was responsible for his death

As I hit him with a broken cross

Long story short

I was taking a piss behind a grave

When a man far taller than me

Put his hand on my dick

This made me jump and I hit him

With part of a broken stone cross

The pervert was obviously dead

He just lay there looking up at me

Staring at the stars in the empty sky

Normally I would have contacted the cops

And explained why I was forced to hit this stranger

But I do not have a clean history far from it

As I was part of a gang who attacked queers

This was over ten years ago when I was a teenager

No matter my innocence I would be charged again

It would go to court and I would go inside

I will not put my parents through that again

It was whilst I was considering my options

That I saw Janey with her dog near the lychgate

She walked across and looked at the body

Just come back to mine

We are just walking the dog

We saw and heard nothing

We were just minding our own business

Pick up the rock and drop it into the river

Stay with me I am still in Adam Street

Get rid of your clothes and take a bath

You can have Stevie’s track suit

He will not miss it when he returns from university

We are girlfriend and boyfriend now Geoff

People will get used to seeing us together

Why are you doing this for me

As we hardly know each other

I recognised what was left of his face

It was that scumbag Paul Perkins-Smith

Who when I was much younger abused me at will

I have waited for so many years to see him dead

Why did you not tell anyone

Who would have believed me with my family

Compare them with his people not a chance

I do not want to know what happened

I am sure that you had your reasons

The only good pervert is a dead pervert

We need to make ourselves scarce Geoff

Just walking the dog as many people do

On dark winters evening such as this



Northern Towns (1973)