1st insurance lesson

First insurance lesson,


I learned very early in life how to claim from insurance’s,

I didn’t know it then but it was to be one of life’s assurances,

Having come out from school at Hassett’s cross,

Each boy jostling for position trying to be the boss,

There had been a crash and a car had been turned on its roof,

There was guards standing watching it all aloof,

As we passed it on our way home from school it was smashed,

Left there on its roof all mangled and crashed,

Passengers all taken to hospital sirens all blazing,

And us young boys stood there gawping it was amazing,

There weren’t many cars about back in that time,

Posh people owned them we had horses it suited us fine,

A few men had gathered and were discussing the event,

The talk was of insurance and the driver’s intent,

And how the car could be fixed and what it might cost,

Either way the driver in court would be lost,

He’d be better off one said if it was all burned to hell,

That way the insurance company could never blame or tell,

Who was to blame for this almighty disaster?

While the occupants were likely to end up in plaster,

In any case everyone felt sorry for this man,

And someone should do something to help if they can,

So late that evening as the guards went away,

With a box of matches to the car we did stray,

And lit the smashed car and blew it up in smoke,

We laughed as we ran to us it was no joke,

But scorched we got all in strange places,

A few of us had burn marks on our faces,

In the station we denied all thoughts of burning this car,

Saying there was a guard watching it sure he wasn’t too far,

It must have been waiting to spark and take light,

We got scorched and it gave us a huge fright,

It was lucky that guard was well out of its way,

Or we might all be going to his funeral this day,

And rather then charge 5 of us with burning this car,

They questioned the guard, who should have been near not far,

The owner came to knock on our door’s late one night,

His insurance paid out, I’m still not sure if we were wrong or right.

10 Dec. 11