Hi, I came across this poem called the Bowhill Bhoy, so I am not claiming any credit for it.
I’m from Fife and have attended the ceremony at the graveside every year since 1997 as a representative of the Arthur McKenna Lochgelly CSC.
“The Bowhill Bhoy” My old dad avowed, so, it must be true that a Bowhill bhoy, hale at twenty-two …
who laid down his life in a daring save that propelled the lad
to an early grave…
was the best he ever saw. In the pomp of youth, strapping – in his prime, he had talent raw, in a gift sublime…
a courageous heart with a reckless edge – focus, power and grace to the jersey pledged…
ne’er before or since surpassed. Meteoric rise, cruelly brief career – tragic his demise, swathed in grief sincere …
lasting legacy to both kith and kin, as a treasured son and a Hoops’ linchpin…now, forever, Celtic’s John.
On the fateful day, in a sick’ning crunch, consummation sore of a mother’s hunch…
terrors harboured deep in a mammy’s heart, lockfast tight in dread of his headstrong art all unleashed that awful night.
Derby debut cursed for a young, blond ‘bear’ – Sam’s marauding power, Johnny’s peerless flair …
thitherto unmatched, thenceforth intertwined in a dance of death – to their fates consigned …
one to lore; one, living hell. As the action froze in a young mind’s eye, one sharp, piercing scream rent the Govan sky …
in a grisly trice two young worlds caved in – Celtic’s prince of gloves and his ‘Micky Finn’…
nascent destiny undone.
If you value life, as you’ll surely do, then, lament the loss of a genius true…
humble son of Fife noble, proud athlete Johnny Thomson, dear – Scotland’s gem forfeit …
Celtic’s ‘Bowhill Bhoy’ supreme.
Submitted by Derek Hamilton
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