A Black Country Ode by guest poet Matt Humphries

As the fifth anniversary of this site fast approaches – it’s tomorrow – I decided that rather than write a long piece about my unexciting journey from there to here I’d do something different. So today I’m sharing a poem from my good friend and poet Matt Humphries.

A Black Country Ode

There’s a place I know
Called the Black Country, see
It stretches to Stourbridge
Up to Walsall in the North.

We often get confused
With our cousin the Brummie
But the accent is different
Where else in the world
Would you get to be called yampey?

The people are proud, friendly and warm
But don’t upset the old lady
Or you’ll end up in a brawl
The pubs they are full

Of colourful characters
All with tall stories
Of legend and woe
The women are pretty
But don’t upset your wench.

Cos if you do
Your life won’t be worth living, and
Her brothers will seek
A suitable recompense.

Yes the Black Country is different
But it’s the place we call home
We’re proud of our heritage
The factories and furnaces
The canals and the industry.

We were built on hard work
And even harder play
On a Saturday night
Everyone comes out to play.

There’s the darts and there’s football
And betting on slow ‘osses
Dancing and drinking as we
Try to score with the wenches.

The Black Country is wrong
On so many levels.
But like I said it’s our home
Of which we’re rightly proud
I just thought I’d say.

Want to know more about Matt , here’s a quick bio written by the man himself

My name is Matt Humphries and I’m a poet from Walsall. I have only been writing poetry for a relatively short space of time, I tend to write in a retrospective way a lot of the time and take my inspiration from things that I see or read. I hope you enjoy this poem. If you have any feedback my email is matthew_humphries2007@yahoo.co.uk

Thanks Matt, hopefully he will have a poetry book out soon which I will cover here.

Fancy a guest slot here? Just email me to discuss.

Come back tomorrow for my fifth anniversary poem.