Reasons why taggers will be looking a bit more carefully in future

Did you see the news story about the guy who was electronically tagged as a punishment but managed to dupe the men who tagged him into fixing it onto his prosthetic leg?  When they'd gone, he just unscrewed the leg and went out.


I wrote a poem about it on Poetry 24.  I love the Poetry 24 website, because it provides angles on the news you wouldn't necessarily think about, and also it gives lazy, good-for-nothing poets like me an impetus to get writing.  Can we get Poetry 24 up to 100 followers?  I think it's on 95 and I reckon round numbers are so much more satisfying.

Here's the link to the website and the poem - http://poetry-24.blogspot.com/2011/08/night-out.html


Rob got home from the pub to find that his mum had sold his prosthetic on e-bay to an unusual customer.


Comments

  1. Pam 30/8/11 02:29

    Yes, I heard this too, but there is a small flaw in Baddie's cunning plan, don't you think? Hopping. Would I rather stay in at night with two legs or go out, hopping? Call me unadventurous, but...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Steve30/8/11 05:16

    So he was legless before he even got to the pub?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Charlotte30/8/11 12:48

    I removed my previous comment as on reflection it didn't fit your poem that well. I did laugh when I read the story on BBC website. I loved the ingenuity of the prisoner. But I love your thinking from the other side.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Fran Hill30/8/11 15:15

    Isabelle - I think he probably thought the hopping was worth it.

    Steve - boom boom! And probably couldn't say 'prosthe .. proshthe ... prosththet ... leg' either.

    Charlotte - thanks. Yes, it is a funny story, but I do think it might be a bit harsh to sack the security guys. I mean, who's going to think, 'Hang on, better check this leg is real'.

    ReplyDelete
  5. janicebotterill1/9/11 01:06

    I heard this on the radio and they suggested that the taggers were too politically correct to ask/check that the leg was, er, removable. Hilarious! Am inspired to submit to Poetry 24 too. A laugh and a link all in one post!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Fran Hill1/9/11 01:51

    projectforty - Would love to know what solution they come up with to test whether legs are bonafide ones if they can't just ask! Please do submit to Poetry 24. Their slogan is 'Where News is the Muse' which I think is great, and it's certainly fun to go looking for stories to write about.

    ReplyDelete
  7. hausfrau2/9/11 01:10

    I too heard this on the radio and thought it harsh to sack the taggers: I bet there's a rule about which leg tags go on and it's not PC to treat a disabled person differently - even if they knew they'd have been wrong!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Jayne2/9/11 06:39

    I liked the way you'd imagined his thought process. Humour tinged with a touch of sadness.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Tim Atkinson3/9/11 02:20

    Just read the poem - I think you should audition for the poetry spot on Saturday Live. If it helps, I can introduce you to Rev'd Richard Coles. He sang at my wedding.

    But not 'Don't leave me this way...'

    ReplyDelete
  10. Fran Hill3/9/11 03:02

    hausfrau - you're absolutely right. Can you imagine if they change the rules so that they have to ask EVERYONE - 'Is your leg real, sir?' I can see that going down REALLY well with petty criminals.

    Jayne - thanks - that's what I was aiming for, so good to know it hit the spot.

    The Dotterel - much appreciated. Have dropped you an email. Thanks for coming over to visit.

    ReplyDelete

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