Good Kevin

[Jerrybaldy]

Things sure changed when Kevin
was born in the circle at stonehenge
on the night of the summer solstace.
He burst over the front pages.
Then grew to a man in the public eye.
To keep from the public gaze, he would often go fishing.
At times he caught enough, to feed his many friends.
The inner circle (He loved circles) would meet
for a dozen Big Macs on Friday evenings.
He joined the magic circle (as I said...) and
performed near impossible feats
on Britain's Got Talent.
And his name spread
And his name was Kevin.
The circle became his symbol.
He talked of the eternity of love.
Round houses were built all over
Where people would enter, give the sign of the circle
and listen while Kevin on tour
talked more and more of circles from above.
Kevin became a fashion icon.
He said hoods were good
and hence forth we all wore the hood.
Nobody stopped to talk in the street anymore
as you could walk past your neighbour unknowing.
The world and his wife.. and her husband
(for Kevin was never sexist)
descended upon stonehenge each solstace.
Kevin drank Bacardi.
Lots of it.
So much so that his blood was full of it
and this became the blood of Kevin.
Sales soared as now millions visited the round houses
drank Bacardi and talked in tongues.
He wrote a book, but frankly it was crap
all about his wild days and all the beggating he begot.
Kevin became addicted to pain killers (round ones)
and passed over at the age of 45.
Ten years later he is all but forgotten
We haven't the time to keep him going.
Good Kevin, modern times are busy.

[Delta40]

I don't know what to say. our recently ousted prime minister Kevin Rudd (aka Krudd)doesn't fit that profile but it was amusing imagining your poem as his histroy.

[dafydd manton]

TommY? Timothy Leary? Hippies in general? A brilliant amalgam? Yeah, I know that warped little mind. Amalgam it is! I have to say, I could see the scenes in my mind's eye, and it made me smile, whether it was supposed to I don't know. Thoroughly enjoyable, that one, Jerry. The brain still works despite the advanced years!!

[Jerrybaldy]

And here's me thinking I have put too many points of reference in here and over explained the analogy. You never can tell. :)

[dafydd manton]

Ah -ha! So, zere is ze sekret kombination! Ze life of ze Messiah in modern terms. Oddly, the purists aren't gojng to like it, and so what, but there's a poignancy to those last two lines! As you know, I'm a believer, but I don't find it in the least blasphemous! (Remind me to check in tomorrow's paper for reports of bolts of lightning in Bristol!)

Well done, mate!

[Haunted]

I didn't want to think I was right in guessing who that is...
In any event this is a brilliant satire, it's smart and hysterical and, uh, very circular. And that's because Jerry is a rounded poet!

[Jerrybaldy]

You are one well rounded individual Mr Daffy. (not a waist line reference, to steal your possible response :P )
ducking thunderbolts from clear skies
Jerry

[Jerrybaldy]

thanks Haunted
funny how we both used rounded there, think the word might be spreading..

[Haunted]

I thought it might be the magic circle...

[Jerrybaldy]

Miraculous you should say that. ..

[hillwalker]

I guess it's a parody on the life of JC - more 'Life of Kevin' than 'Life of Brian' perhaps?
Cleverly written..... very much tongue-in-cheek.

H

[Hawkman]

I read this as more of a satire on celebrity culture and as such I find it very effective. Todays celeb is tomorrow's chip wrapping (if chip ,shops still used newsprint).

Of course, this doesn't apply if you happened to be a serially adulterous princess (by marriage) and the paper's circulations are flagging.

[dafydd manton]

Funny you should say that Hawk. I was on BBC Radio Sheffield the other day, and some clown referred to me as a "local celebrity", and that line about chip wrappers popped into the mind, so being a diplomat, I used it. OOOPS!!

Not half as much of a celebrity as our un-hirsute one though. (Thinks, one more reference to my girth - they called Harry Secombe Sir Cumference - and I'm going down there with a lightning bolt of my own!!)

[PrinceMyshkin]

I feel somewhat left out in having no guess at who Kevin represents, but this is a compelling fable nonetheless.

[Jerrybaldy]

Hill - I did think of calling it 'The Life of Kevin', but thought I had littered enough clues already, but seems I was wrong.
Hawk- think it applies equally to celebrity and I had it in mind that in a second coming scenario, or a new first coming, celebrity would certainly be the status.
Daffy - local celebrity. Could you lend me a fiver mate?
Prince - I cant decide whether you are pulling my leg.

[dafydd manton]

Jerry, I'd love to lend you a fiver, but the only one I've got left is white. Will you accept a three and a two?

Could we make this in to a play? Theatre in the round, naturally.

Skol!

[PrinceMyshkin]

Hill - I did think of calling it 'The Life of Kevin', but thought I had littered enough clues already, but seems I was wrong.
Hawk- think it applies equally to celebrity and I had it in mind that in a second coming scenario, or a new first coming, celebrity would certainly be the status.
Daffy - local celebrity. Could you lend me a fiver mate?
Prince - I cant decide whether you are pulling my leg.

Didn't mean to be pulling your leg at all! Are you implying that it should have been apparent (even to me) who "Kevin" really was?

[Jerrybaldy]

Prince
I feel a bit cornered here. I have read many of your comments on here where you grasp the meaning of the most impenitrable poems, beyond my reach, hence my thought you were pulling my leg.
Kevin was nobody, but I littered the poem with references to show the juxtaposition of Kevin and a modern day Jesus figure and how he would be in the modern world. All in jest, satire call it what you will.
best wishes
Jerry