The Greatest
The greatest job I ever had was in the summer
Of ’90. I was 17 years old and just out of school.
It was delivering kegs of beer, soft drinks
And snacks to pubs and clubs. I was what was
Known as a driver’s mate. I don’t know if
A job like that exists anymore, I doubt it
It was a cushy number, the driver drove
While I sat with my feet up on the dashboard
Smoking cigarettes and listening to the radio.
When we reached our destination, I would help
To unload the stuff , and I tell you, those
Barrels are bloody heavy. At every drop
The landlord would (depending on the time of day)
Either give us a bottle of beer to take home
Or put us a pint on the bar. Drink driving
Wasn’t as much of an issue then.
Some days I would be half-drunk by
Lunchtime. We had all sorts of scams going
We’d pinch bottles of pop and swap them
For bacon sandwiches with the women who
Worked in the social clubs of the pits
That we delivered to. The money was
Terrible, only £50 a week. So.when I
Was offered a job paying £120, it wasn’t a
Hard decision. But still to this day, it’s the
Only job where I never had one day off sick.
©Ian Lewis Copestick all rights reserved
Ian Lewis Copestick is a 46-year-old writer from Stoke on Trent England. Although he started writing poetry in 2001, he only started sending them out for publication 8 months ago. In this time he has had over 100 poems and 5 short stories published. He is featured in print anthologies by Alien Buddha Press and Horror Sleaze Trash. His first book Detritus Of The Drunken Night is OUT NOW, published by Cajun Mutt Press.