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Introduction
An Owner's Complaint
The Cub Scout Diary
Glasgow
Judith
Photo in St James' Park
Poem de terre
Pop and Me
The Price of Art in Luton
Relaxing with Taxidermy
Smothering Sunday
Culture Shock
John Hegley's Net Words Page Heading

John's first journal was kept as a Cub Scout when he was eight. The original document has disappeared and the poet has attempted a re-telling, with better spelling.

Scout Image The Cub Scout Diary

One Christmas I told my dad
that my sister had scribbled on the pages of my new Cub Scout diary.
When he confronted her about the damage
and she pleaded innocent I asked who did it if she never
and realizing that there was no other likely suspect,
assuming our parents to be above such a senseless violation,
Angela said that although she had no
recollection of the incident
the culprit must have been her;
an admission which my father felt
warranted a thorough beating.
What had actually occurred was
whilst entering my address in the diary,
which I wanted to look neat as possible,
I had made a mistake,
crossed it out, made a mess
and lost my temper,
ruining the book
with a series of indelible markings.
When the frenzy was over
I decided that somebody should suffer for this act of destruction
and that that person should be my sister.