Kev's Bong

Syd

We were mere acquaintances
As opposed to friends
Our circles mixed, when chasing our THC fix
Many years before his tragic end

We were teenage twigs that floated down 
The same silty streams
Meandering lazily, while the air was hazy
Long before laughter turned to screams

Kev was on a youth training scheme 
As he was four years older
Spending his grey North East days
Learning to weld and solder 

A metal monstrosity he made
With beads of weld bearing his name
Wonky joints and leaking seams
Crudely cut with oxy flames

The weight of 10kg dumbbell
It was the bluntest of blunt instruments
It was anything but subtle
And hardly inconspicuous

Filling his tiny box bedroom 
Full of plastic resin smoke
Blasting tinny MC rave anthems
How we laughed and toked

I wish I could have helped him
With a rope around his neck
If only someone could have intervened 
Before he tipped the step

But one thing I'll never forget 
Now that he's dead and gone
Is Kev's crude clunky wonky 
Heavy metal bong

  • Author: Syd (Offline Offline)
  • Published: July 18th, 2026 06:53
  • Comment from author about the poem: Someone I knew from when I was a young teenager tragically took his own life earlier this year.
  • Category: Sad
  • Views: 21
  • Users favorite of this poem: Tristan Robert Lange, Teddy.15, peto
Comments +

Comments4

  • sorenbarrett

    A sad tribute to a strange fellow. It is these people that leave holes in our past that are filled with nostalgia. Well done

    • Syd

      Thank you Sorenbarret. Suicide is such a tragedy.

      I appreciate you stopping by and commenting.

      - Syd šŸ„

      • sorenbarrett

        You are most welcome. Indeed it is I have known several and each one is a tragedy

      • Tristan Robert Lange

        What a heartbreaking tribute, Syd. You remember Kev through something imperfect, funny, and unmistakably his...then let that warmth stand beside the horror of losing him. The result feels honest because grief and laughter remain together. Iā€™m truly sorry for your loss, my friend. šŸŒ¹šŸ–¤šŸ™šŸ•ÆļøšŸ¦ā€ā¬›

        • Syd

          Thank you so much Tristan. Although Kev and I weren't close I was really shocked when I found out what had happened. I feel really sorry for him and those close to him.

          - Syd šŸ„

        • Teddy.15

          My deepest condolences to you dear Syd, I've lost two loved ones myself this year, due to cancer. As for Kev Some souls just weren't meant to be in this world. A beautiful poem. šŸŒ¹

          • Syd

            Thank you so much Shirley, I feel for the losses you have gone through too. I hadn't spoken to Kev for close to thirty years but it was still a shock to learn of how he met his end.

            - Syd xo

            • Teddy.15

              So compassionate you are, maybe it's that 30 years absence that hurts. I feel it as I live a long way from home šŸŒ¹

            • peto

              Beautiful tribute syd
              Can't beat real
              That 2nd verse was how i'd feel had I had a toke on that bong
              I enjoyed the yts line also
              RIP kev
              Ta for the memories syd

              • Syd

                Thank you peto. I toke on a bong would certainly knock me sideways these days. It must be over twenty years since I've had a toke on a bong.

                Thank for stopping by peto. Much appreciated - Syd šŸ„



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