Somewhere Else Writers (SEW) August 21 Selwyn Morgan

This month’s writer is Selwyn Morgan. Until five years ago Selwyn wrote only to convey information; often of a technical nature. Nearing retirement, he found that it was fun to write down the stories that were triggered in his head when imagining the life and times of his ancestors. That led to the completion of his first novel, “Going Up Camborne Hill”, available on Amazon.

Having been born in South Wales, he discovered his Cornish roots through on-line ancestry sites. He used the surnames and locations he uncovered for his novel and researched the history of the Cornish mining communities as a basis to his story.

Belonging to Somewhere Else Writers Group has inspired him to write and direct radio plays for Corinium Radio, have short stories published in Cirencester Scene; and he has even attempted the occasional poem. 

Selwyn moved to the Cirencester area seven years ago, having lived and worked in Sussex for thirty years. Prior to that he lived in the Middle East (Kuwait and Jordan). He is now happy to remain here, close to the source of the Thames.

You can read more work by local writers at somewhere-else-writers.org

The five cent slots.

Five cents a go was all it took,
to play the game but not get hooked.
To watch high rollers play fast and free
without a thought about their nth degree,
when winnings fell below their loss
(and they believing, gave not a toss),
they blew their luck away.

The black bunny came, with bobtail white,
and offered drinks throughout the night.
“Upon the house”, she would announce,
and I play the game (as a dollar’s flounce,
would bring her back with my request),
“The casino’s favourite,” I behest,
(a Margarita on her silver tray).

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose,
and five cents a go does not abuse
your wallet, nor your sense of worth
and keeps your expectations down to earth.
But as your five-cent pot gets slimmer,
and your hopes of wealth gets dimmer
there’s another Margarita on its way.