article by Cathie from Kirkmuirhill

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THE STAIRHEID LOO OLD GLASGOW

There’s a queue at the door on the stair

Each wishing the other were not there

There’s a reason for the queue

It’s a need for the loo

Which is shared in the close on the stairs.

Three families have share of the loo

That’s the cause of the very long queue

Everyone’s desperate to go,

They live up in the row

Hopping on one leg or two.

What’s keeping the person in there

In the only loo in the stair?

I bet it’s wee Bobby,

When he needed a jobby,

Reading comics cut into many a square.

Well paper were scarce in those days

Savings were made in many ways

‘The Broons’ and ‘Our Willie too

Were good for the loo.

The desperate waited in despair

Old Andy is in an awful big hurry,

His face is all red with worry

I’ll thicken your ear

If you don’t soon appear,

Well, wee Bobby rushes out in a hurry.

At night it was a big race

To get out of that cold dark place.

When you turned the big handle

The draft blew out the candle

Oh did ghosts inhabit that place?

In your house did you have a loo?

The houses that had one were few

Or did you wait on the stair

For the cold one down there?

Did you have to make that one do?

Cathy Letterick

Webmaster replies

Nice one Cathie.

Really liked that last verse.   Stopping the 'flow' in its tracks by getting the reader to reflect.

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