Skinny Malinky

My dad came from a large family of 4 boys and 3 girls.  So it's not surprising that a certain amount of teasing went on between the siblings.  


My dad, and his younger brother Stan,
Were wordsmiths, 
Masters of the absurd,
Stringing together a senseless succession,
A multitude of meaningless phrases
To torment their oldest sister.  
We knew her as Auntie Min, short for Millicent,
But they knew her as:
Skinny malinky long legs,
Big banana feet, 
Then several phrases, long forgotten,  
Ending with:
Boiled old onts -
No-one ever knew what that meant.   
My dad would recite the words to us, with glee, 
His unofficial party piece. 

These fragments of the taunt live on, 
Known within the family
Despite the passing of its creators,
My uncle Colin surprised
By my daughter chiming in with
"Big banana feet"
Seventy, eighty, years after its inception.

My sister, brain sharper, better recall,
Messages the missing piece,
Her written words ringing out in my dad's voice: 
'Skinny malinky long legs,
Big banana feet,
Mince tints and boiled old onts,
Da tweeda, twada, twoe!'


© Copyright 2024. Chris Auger. All Rights Reserved




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