Old Banger

[Keith]

My body keeps racing
down at Belle Vue
I've burnt out my breaks
and can't reach the shoes.

The doctors are welding
new parts all the time
the hill start reminds me
I'm well past my prime

So let loose this stock car
to run like a fool
with just enough money
for a full tank of fuel.

[Achebe]

With an ankle injury and then a heel injury and then a knee injury, I completely sympathise...

EDIT: did i see a second meaning where none was intended? say it ain't so..

[Magpie]

Hi Keith,

Liking this one very much. How come I've never heard of Belle Vue speedway before? It sounds terribly posh for stock car racing.

I was going to ask if you meant to say 'loose' instead of 'lose' at the beginning of the last stanza. In some sense 'lose' works, but I'm not sure works grammatically. Then I noticed 'breaks' instead of 'brakes' so now I'm worried I'm missing some clever play, I've been awake too long and I'm getting too old sometimes.

Still enjoyed it, either way. 

Cheers for the read,
Mark

[billy]

belle vue in this instance is a dirt track come small zoo/theme park. there's also a greyhound track there. [which i remember well] the fairground also holds so many memories for me. the are is gorton and it's a proverbial shithole

nicely done you old dirt bike.

[Keith]

With an ankle injury and then a heel injury and then a knee injury, I completely sympathise...

EDIT: did i see a second meaning where none was intended? say it ain't so..

Thanks ronsaik, you sound worse than me with my metal rods and bolts, no second meaning just old age propped up aginst a weak metaphor of a beat up old stock car that still wants to race. Best Keith

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Hi Keith,

Liking this one very much. How come I've never heard of Belle Vue speedway before? It sounds terribly posh for stock car racing.

I was going to ask if you meant to say 'loose' instead of 'lose' at the beginning of the last stanza. In some sense 'lose' works, but I'm not sure works grammatically. Then I noticed 'breaks' instead of 'brakes' so now I'm worried I'm missing some clever play, I've been awake too long and I'm getting too old sometimes.

Still enjoyed it, either way. 

Cheers for the read,
Mark

Thanks Mark
Nice catch on lose...have made an edit. breaks is about legs and brakes as is shoes, it was my intention to work in some word play, but "clever" would be stretching it a bit. Thanks for your help. Keith

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belle vue in this instance is a dirt track come small zoo/theme park. there's also a greyhound track there. [which i remember well] the fairground also holds so many memories for me.  the are is gorton and it's a proverbial shithole

nicely done you old dirt bike.

Thanks Billy
I used to go there and white city as a kid, watching the speedway and the stock cars, ahhh I can smell the petrol know. And I lived in Eccles so.....
Best Keith

[billy]

for us it was the greyhound track, i went with my brother, if his dog was losing he'd sling a rabbit over and the dogs would go wild. the rabbit usually got away

[Keith]

Id just like to say no animals were hurt during the making of this thread.....poor wikle bunny wabbit