a little book of
poetry by Henry Mendoza
Inspired by words, memories and stories from Tooting residents For
Tooting
A little book of poetry by Henry Mendoza Inspired by words, memories and stories from Tooting residents. For Fun Palaces Tooting.
Welcome To Tooting Welcome to Tooting! My birthplace, my home, Welcome to the Common where we all used to roam, There’s a massive Lido but swimming there outside of summer is bravery, Maybe you’re better off sampling the many foods in Graveney, Cos Tooting’s a melting pot, a microcosm of the nation, You’d meet half the cultures in Europe just from passing through the station, And by the way - to the rest of Europe - I don’t wanna seem snobbish, But Tooting is the home to your largest Chicken Cottage! The Mayor of London’s from here too, he’s been around the Mitre, Did he ever mention that his Dad was a bus driver? And though Bowie was from Brixton so he wasn’t one of ours, That doesn’t mean that Tooting isn’t birthplace of some stars, Stephen K, Lennie James, Jackie Tyler, Wolfie Smith! We bring Power To The People and that isn’t any myth, We’ve even made our mark on The Red Planet, we’re out among the stars! We’ve got a crater named after us, call it Life On Mars!
Our Little Olympia Atmosphere of India, Our little Olympia, Friendliness our mantra, Community and banter! Come and have a gander, At food from the tandoor, Without it we’d be blander Cultural expander, Tooting is a homely place, The market here is really ace, Come and feel its warm embrace, Food and drink and lots of space! Tooting you can not replace, Culture you can not erase, We’ve got style and we’ve got grace, Love in every interspace!
CU RRY AND RA I N D RO P S Curry and raindrops, Gravy and meat chops, Marketplace, food shop s, *How* many bus stop s? Curry and raindrops... Juxtaposed ideas? And yet anyone from To oting would honestly see th at it’s, A perfect description, Our town’s own inscrip tion, Philosophically, you co uld say a dictionary definition, The cold and wet of Lo ndon, But the heat’s abundant , From this tikka lunche on, It’s really no conundru m, Why we all love Tootin g, There’s no substituting, Perfect for commuting, And for prosecuting, The case for multicultu ralism, Tooting’s its own empi ricism, We’ve no time for cyni cism, Cos we live our plural ism Such a cause for optim ism, In Tooting there is no schism, Cos we’re a cultural m elting pot, Diversity in race and th ought, Never to ever be forgot , This brilliant little plac e we’ve got!
The New Shoreditch? Tooting is a place that is really full of dynamism, Anything you say about it’s gotta be seen through that prism, Hustling, bustling, always bouncing back, Knock us down we’ll get back up and we’ll stay on track, We bring Power To The People there is no doubt, Friends, family and community is what we’re all about, We’ve still got far to go you know, we’re far from our peak, Something you’d never say of our town is ‘the future is bleak’ Some have said that Tooting really is the new Shoreditch, But honestly I’d really say that that is distorted, Not to show some arrogance, But we don’t need comparisons, Cos our diversity is what makes us unique!
The Battle of Furzedown Clatter, batter, pitter, patter, Through the night it stalks, Someone’s coming, quick take cover! Just behind those blocks, Gather up these great supplies, General’s orders, sorry guys! Look, I’ve found some crocs! On a mission, just stay hidden, Hey - what’s in that box? Rustle, hustle, in a tussle, On the battlefield, In position, Come on, listen, Troops, we will not yield! Hey, over here, I’m really hungry! Help me with these bin locks! Monday morning, Day is dawning, Early on our clocks, “Oh, God, Sarah, they’ve done it again!” The Battle of General Fox.
An Ode To The Marketplace / Welcome To the Neighbourhood Welcome to the neighbourhood! Don’t just stay there where you’re stood! Come on now, there’s much to see! In this old town for you and me, Come on now, this place is rife! With food and drink - bustling night life! You wouldn’t say that it’s absurd, To have a drink at Tequila Mockingbird... Or maybe to the Secret Bar? Just this way, it won’t be far, And before we reach that market stop, We can shop until we drop, Burgers? Boom Bap, meats and beats! Or The Lone Fisherman? Jamaican Eatery? Graveney Gin and Brickwood Bread, Or to The Antelope instead? They do comedy! Yes that’s the ticket! Having fun? Yeah, that’s the spirit! Or if more food choice is what you want, Pop to Mangé Des Iles Restaurant, And if you’ve got some time to spare, We could pop to Milly’s Nail Care, Or if music’s your thing and that is final, We can check out Dr. Vinyl, Culture of India, Jamaica, Sri Lanka! Or Italian - at Franco Manca! Or if maintaining your hair is getting arduous, We could always nip to James’s Barbers, Communities and businesses, hard at work! Selling music, wares and chicken jerk, And if by now, your energy’s declined, We can always go back to Unwined, From this place of hills, and markets, corner shops, Honestly - so many stops! Maybe now you see why I’m always rooting, For a lovely, vibrant place like Tooting!
The Godmother of The Market As people file in and the signs are unfurled, Then do they realise they’ve entered her world? How many years has she been here, what has she seen? With these stalls and aromas, and floor paved with green... Selling her wares and watching over the trade, The Godmother of the Market has never strayed, They’ve all had some success under her watchful eye, Whether selling clothes, or Basil’s food: Chinese and Thai... Even if at times they can’t see the wood for the trees, She’s still happy and well loved, Our Thanks to Ms Gees!
Tooting &
Toddlers
Waaaaa, waaaaaa! Where’s my coffee? Waaaaa, waaaaaa! It’s cold and soggy, Waaaaa, waaaaaa! So much chatter, Waaaaa, waaaaaa! Chaos and clatter, Waaaaa, waaaaaa! This noisy toddler, Waaaaa, waaaaaa! The little plodder, Waaaaa, waaaaaa! It’s so much bother, Waaaaa, waaaaaa! This little dawdler... Waaaaa, waaaaaa! Just take my palm... Waaaaa, waa....? This place of calm, Waaaaa, ooooh, Where people are kind, ..... ....... That’s what you’ll find... Love and friends, ..... ....... Such a cleanse, ..... ....... Vibrance and colour ..... ....... Especially on weekends, Off we go, to the market, This place of food, drink, blue, green and scarlet, ........ .......... There’s no refuting, ........ ............. That I Iove Tooting!
Graveney Gin Fruity nano-distillery, Tonic here for you and me, Locally sourced, handcrafted, And a chunk for charity! Wholesome, for community, Organic and made beautifully, Have a sip and it won’t be long Before you’re hiccuping approvingly! Join them for some cocktails, And you’ll surely not fail, To have funny stories to tell your friends, And you could call them mock tales! Raise money for gorillas, Just in time for Christmas, Have a great time and help animals Whilst supporting local busin-uss!
Jewel In The Crown Happiness is a warm welcome, Of love, embrace, and seldom A bad word said about this place, You’ll always find a friendly face, A positive mentality, A kind of spirituality, Secular or religious, Our little town’s prestigious, For our mish-mash and embrace of cultures, That’s part of our brilliance, A kernel of wisdom, From this part of the Kingdom, You can see it’s been a topic of my lyricism Smiles and bonding with each other, Great place to meet up with each other, On the Common get some fresh air, With your friends or with your brother, Inspired by Carm Jewellery, This ain’t no tomfoolery, Just spreading love and happiness for you and me and all to see, This is the town that made me, Always lived in Graveney, Great places to hang out with your friends if your taste is sweet or savoury! Come on in and call this home, Here you’ll never walk alone, Come on in and be our guests, With this food choice, you’re truly blessed, We’re here for happiness and fun, Can’t wait for you to begin, The passageway’s a little crowded, So why not come on in? And yes, careful of the virus, keep your distance, make some space, But as long as we take precautions, business can continue apace, Wear your mask and wash your hands, We promise you we’ll do the rest, Cos despite the world we now live in, we want your experience, to be the best! Cos here in Tooting, in the market, you should feel the happiness, feel the love, So that even without touching, you can feel you fit here like a glove!
The Elephant In The Room All we ask, wear a mask, wash your hands, that’s the task. Come on in and call this home, Here you’ll never walk alone, Come on in and be our guests, With this food choice, you’re truly blessed, We’re here for happiness and fun, Can’t wait for you to begin, The passageway’s a little crowded, So why not come on in? And yes, careful of the virus, keep your distance, make some space, But as long as we take precautions, business can continue apace, Wear your mask and wash your hands, We promise you we’ll do the rest, Cos despite the world we now live in, we want your experience, to be the best! Cos here in Tooting, in the market, you should feel the happiness, feel the love, So that even without touching, you can feel you fit here like a glove!
Sensory Smell that air, take it in, Feel it wash over your skin, Natural gin and food hot to mild, And the sound of that giggling child, Welcome to the family, Hope you’ll stay here happily, Much to see and much to do, And we couldn’t do it without YOU, Right through here it’s quite the scene, Signs of red and floors of green, Why not come in and take a seat? And sample all our tasty treats?
Sanctuary This is the place I come home to be, Come back to this sanctuary, No matter where I go, or how far I roam, I know that there’s no place like home, When left town and flew the coop, To join others in my then age group, Then as much as I was enjoying uni, I came home for a weekend, cos I truly Missed my home and missed my friends, All has its time and everything ends, But some friendships can last forever, Whether you’re apart or there together, For anyone heading off for tuition, It can be a time of great transition, But you don’t have to face it all alone, Or wait for Christmas to come home, So head out, go on your adventure! But keep the memories you’ll treasure, And maybe you can call me crazy, But Tooting is my home - Tooting is my baby.