A poem about running away to London for the first time aged 11/12
Click here for part one
Click here for part one
Running Further (part two)
I dart out of the door, and take a sharp left, and then sprint through
the nearby alleyway.
I know there’s a train station
across the road, and plenty of time in the day.
Hope that nobody’s seen me and grasses me up, and I don’t know what time these trains come.
And only once have I ever even been on a train, when I went to Walsall
once with my mum.
I got to the station, in just a
few seconds, and a train had pulled in straight away.
I see there’s a lady train
guard standing there, so I make my way over and say,
“Where does this
train go?” she then replied “Birmingham”, so I made my way onto the train,
Hope that nobody sees me, and my heart is now racing, but at the same
time I try to act plain.
The train then pulls off, and my hearts beating faster, a mix of
excitement and fear,
I’m scared that the
police might recognise me, and maybe they’ll come onto here.
I’ve heard that
Birmingham is a big place, and that is all I really know,
And no-one will think to look for me there, so that is the place I will
go.
I then get a ticket, from the other train guard, hoping no questions are
asked,
I pull out a twenty, cuz now I have plenty, and I’m leaving this place in the past.
“Child ticket?” he says, and with “yes” I reply, and he gives me my ticket and change,
And I’m glad that the
train’s driving so far
away, I just want to get out of range.
A few stations after the train stops at Bloxwich, and on my carriage get
on two police.
Hope they don’t see me, because
it’s inside school
hours, but I’m wearing my
tracksuit and fleece.
I’m crapping it now,
will they recognise me? Am I about to get caught by a cop?
But luckily they both got off at Walsall, which thankfully was the next
stop.
Past Bescot Stadium, and
Tamebridge Parkway, past Villa Park right into Brum,
I wonder by now if the police know that I’m missing, reported by my foster mum.
‘Oh what a big
tunnel, I’ve never done this’, I thought as the train pulls into New Street,
Tried my best to keep normal, and stay inconspicuous, as I got up
leaving my seat.
The doors had then opened, I got off the train, and then felt an
adrenaline stream,
First time in a city, whilst on my own tod, and the furthest alone that
I’d been.
I walked behind the commuters, they all seemed in a rush, and then the
main hall was where I’d got to,
Every time that I saw, a police officer’s clothes, I tried to stay right out of view.
Convinced that they’d seen me, I’d quickly walk on,
and then turn my head over my shoulder,
Did not hang about, as I felt I stood out, because everyone around was
much older.
Walked outside the station, past some more police, but I didn’t spend that much time on the street,
I then turned around, to go back to the shop, to buy myself something to
eat.
And then I saw, the departure boards, and on the list I saw Coventry,
And I’d been fascinated,
by football grounds, when I’d see the footy on the TV.
So that’s where I’ll go, to Coventry’s stadium, just have a quick peek from outside,
So I find my way, to the ticket office, and go on to pay for my ride.
Back through the manned gates, and down to the train, on the way to
Coventry I now go,
It’s been a good
couple of hours since I had left, surely by now they must know.
No police on this train, I’m now much more relaxed, as I observe life around from this chair,
There are all sorts of people, going all sorts of places, and it’s not long until I get there.
I get off the train and then walk
out of the station, to try and find where Coventry play,
But there weren’t many people, around to ask for directions, and I had no clue of the
way.
I walked back in the station, didn’t know what to do, still hoping I’d not yet been seen,
And then I saw, in bright orange letters, “London Euston” on the timetable screen.
‘London Euston?’ I thought, I wonder if that, is the capital city
or not,
And if it is, then that sounds exciting, I’d like to go there a lot.
Or is it a village, in the middle of nowhere, that just happens to share
the same name?
I don’t want to be, stuck
out in the sticks, like I was in Great Haywood again.
So I asked a man waiting inside the station, “Excuse me mate could you help me?
Does that writing there, that says ‘London Euston’ , mean ‘London’ as in the city?”
The man in his twenties then chuckled and said “Yes mate that’s the same place,
The train comes in five minutes, and arrives on this platform”, in which I then replied to him “ace.”
And when the train came, with excitement jumped on, the inside seemed
well kept and plush,
And as the train left, I yet once again, got that same big intense rush.
The ticket inspector came up, I got out my cash and said “A child single to London mate please”,
As I gave him my cash, he then printed my ticket, and looked at me with
slight unease.
“Where are you
going, when you get to London?” the ticket inspector then suddenly said,
Then I had to think, of the quickest thing, which came to me inside my
head.
“I’m meeting a pen-pal” I then replied, “Where does he live?” the ticket man says,
“I can’t quite remember” was what I’d thought to say, “but I’m staying there for a few days.”
“Is anyone meeting you
at the other end? Have you got a number for them that you can call?”
In which I reply “his dads meeting me there and I don’t have a number at all”.
“So where are your
bags?” he continues to
ask, “Surely you’ve packed up some clothes?”
“His dads lending me
some”, was the answer I
thought, and I start to wonder if he now knows.
“OK” he said and then gave me a ticket, and then walked
off once I’d said “thank you”,
A big sigh of relief, I can once again breathe, as I sit and think to
myself ‘phew’.
But it’s not over yet,
could have he called the police? Will there be some at the other end?
Or did he believe, my quick made up story that I was off to see my
friend?
The train pulls into Euston,
such a busy place, I can’t believe that I’ve now made it here,
I get that same rush, that I’ve been getting all day, the mix of excitement and fear.
Don’t let the police
see me, I try and act straight, in the middle of the crowds I will stay,
But my chances of getting caught now feel slimmer, because I’m feeling so far away.
And then I walk, into the main hall, still early and got loads of time,
I walk up a little, and then I see, a big London underground sign.
I’d only once saw,
that red and blue symbol, on my mum’s old computer game,
With some tunnels you’d walk through, with no tracks at all, I didn’t think that there’d be a train.
And for a few moments, in my mind I’d thought, they were just tunnels to walk
underground,
Until I’d seen, all the
ticket machines, and down below a slight faint train sound..
I looked at the map, and I couldn’t believe, the number of stations I saw,
I know that now I can get away, like I’ve not quite got to before.
This time it’s different, I’ve got money to travel, a ticket I can now afford,
I read names of some places, that I’ve vaguely heard of, mainly from the monopoly
board.
Piccadilly Circus, Waterloo, King’s Cross and Leicester Square,
Leicester Square looks quite easy to get to from here, so I think that I’ll go there.
I buy me a ticket and get down to the train, everything feels so busy to
me,
Its hustle and bustle, and people look different, I feel that there’s so much to see.
I didn’t quite think, that
the stations were close; I was surprised how quick we got there,
The train felt so fast, as it had passed, through the tunnels towards
Leicester Square.
The train soon arrives, and I leave the tube station, and I then take a
short walk around,
The first time I’d seen buskers, and human statues, and homeless folk there on the
ground.
Portrait artists, and tourists with maps, all different nationalities,
Foreign-spoke languages all around me, and there seemed to be lots of
Chinese.
Not too long after whilst still walking around, it had then started to
lightly rain,
I wasn’t sure, if it would
then pour, so I went back to get on the train.
I look at the map and I then see, Piccadilly Circus is one stop away.
And I’ve never once been,
to see a circus, so there for a while I will stay.
Unknown to me then, it was only a few yards walk through Coventry
street,
I’d brought one more
ticket, got back on the train, but walked more than I’d sat in my seat.
Straight away saw the bright lights, that you’d see on the postcards, it felt like I was at the
fair,
Yet more buskers, and tourists would get, henna tattoos whilst sat in a
chair.
I wandered around, and absorbed it all in, still with no plan or no
purpose,
I then asked a man in a group out on the town, “Excuse me mate where is the circus?”
“This is it mate” he then replied, “There’s no circus?” I had then asked,
“It’s not that kind of circus, it’s because of the road”, he said as so many folk passed.
Not too long after, I made my way, back onto the underground,
And once again looked at the tube map, to see what places could be
found.
‘Angel’ sounded an interesting place, I thought that there’d be something there,
But I soon got bored, with not much to do, so I decided that I’d go elsewhere.
I Walked back to the tube, and then looked at the map, and saw ‘Arsenal’ next to a blue line,
I supported that team, and to go to Highbury, was a newfound childhood
dream of mine.
After asking the staff inside the tube station, if that was where
Arsenal play,
I then once again, got on a train, sat down this time and made my way.
And to my surprise, the station was busy, plenty of folk were there
walking in,
And outside the tube was a bloke selling scarfs, and flags from inside
of a bin.
A game had been on, there at Highbury, so I made my way up to the
ground,
The gates were still open and people were leaving, so I went inside to
look around.
Up a few stairs and through the long hall, to the top corner of the end
stand,
I imagine they’re playing, and Ian Wright’s shooting, and then in front of my face waves a
big hand hand.
“I’m sorry mate, but you’ve got to leave, we’re emptying the stadium now”,
“No worries” I said because I was just glad, that I’d caught a good look in somehow.
Out of the stadium, and back to the tube, I don’t really know where to go,
So I rode the tube back to Piccadilly Circus, where buskers would put on
a show.
The sound of loud bongos, and folk having fun, when I got there it had
now turned to night,
And it ain’t gone dead quiet,
like where I am from, and the vibe at the time felt alright.
I walked down the street, see a souvenir shop, so I buy myself a wallet
from there,
And then soon I see that I have quickly, wandered back to Leicester
Square.
I walk past the buskers, and the Pizzerias, and the tube station that I
now know,
But time’s ticking on, and I
still haven’t found, any kind
of shelter to go.
Back to the tube map, now where do I go, somewhere safe this time of
night?
And then I saw, Whitechapel station, and thought that it sounded
alright.
Surely I’m safe, near some
big white chapel, it doesn’t sound a busy place,
No one will be there, around at
night surely, which means that few see my face.
I buy yet one more ticket, still plenty of money, and I feel like a
millionaire,
Through the barriers, and down the escalators, a Rasta busker plays Bob
Marley there.
I change at Kings Cross, learn to read the tube map, get on the
Hammersmith and city line,
I’m sure it will be,
quite a beautiful place, and this big white chapel will be fine.
Poetry written by Ben Westwood, Musician and poet. UK
Copyright Ben Westwood.
Follow the true story of a young teenager
running away from home and the state, in a premature search for independence. In
poetry.
Making choices that often only a young mind would make, Ben tells his story and memories of being in the social services system from eleven years old, as
well as 1990’s London street life, as a missing runaway sleeping rough.
From angels, predators, shocking times to heart-warming moments, Musician and now debut author Ben Westwood gives an insight into the mind of a rebellious-spirited youngster trying to find his own way in the world.
You can read the first fourteen poems written for this project at the following link.
http://benwestwooduk.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/complete-list-of-current-published.html
To order a signed colour copy you can order via paypal below.
The price is £18.99 including postage and packaging
To order a signed colour copy you can order via paypal below.
The price is £18.99 including postage and packaging
