Goodbat Nightman

Roger McGough 1937 (Litherland)



God bless all policemen
and fighters of crime,
May thieves go to jail
for a very long time.

They've had a hard day
helping clean up the town,
Now they hang from the mantelpiece
both upside down.

A glass of warm blood
and then straight up the stairs,
Batman and Robin
are saying their prayers.

* * *

They've locked all the doors
and they've put out the bat,
Put on their batjamas
(They like doing that)

They've filled their batwater-bottles
made their batbeds,
With two springy battresses
for sleepy batheads.

They're closing red eyes
and they're counting black sheep,
Batman and Robin
are falling asleep.
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Submitted by RobertHaigh on July 27, 2020

Modified on May 03, 2023

33 sec read
321

Quick analysis:

Scheme xaxa xbcb xcDc cece cccc cfDf
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 580
Words 106
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 1, 4, 4, 4

Roger McGough

Roger McGough was born in Liverpool and educated at St Mary's College and the University of Hull. He has been a writer for many years, and his numerous collections have established him as one of the most distinctive and powerful voices in contemporary poetry. more…

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