Jenno

Jennospot 60  Jenno

Cripes, Oi reckon as ‘ow Oi’ve got an admirer. Any’ow, somebody ‘as written a poem about me, an’ Oi ain’t so modest as ‘ow Oi can’t share it wiv yew. So ‘ere it is. Oi ‘ope yew loike it, ‘cos Oi do. It’s called “Jenno”, wot is about roight:

Jenno

A red-head, all in yellow-green;

A cheerful kid who's full of cheek.
Her pleated skirt is short; its sheen
Is concertina'd, so to speak.

Her pullover is garden green,

It goes with skirt of yellow.
Although her name is really Jean,
She's known to all as, "Jenno".

And with her strongly-striding limbs,

She fronts the world with wilful walk
That takes its beat from martial hymns:
A fiery flower on sturdy stalk.

Her auburn hair is held, to wear

A primrose ribbon, catching in
Her golden topknot, tied with care,
And fixed in place with bight green pin.
 

She wins her races, and your heart,

By hurtling downhill headfirst
In speedy, yellow, soap-box cart
Called Emmeline Pankhurst.

In Widdlington where Jenno lives,
There's rivalry between her gang
And other gangs. And no one gives
A hang for grammar, all use slang.

Jenno, when she wants, can speak
With elegance; not to reflect
The English spoken by her clique:
With them, her speech is dialect.

She helps in trouble to win through.
Jenno's there when things get rough.
A loyal friend, who will be true,
Stalwart, steadfast, tiger tough.

Jenno is as Jenno does.
Jenno is a rebel.
Jenno gives us all a buzz.
Jenno's someone special.


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