Elvis – A True Story
I am bipolar don’t you know
certified from head to toe
it reads, high functioning, sparkling wit
alas, hallucinates a bit
So, on a little manic buzz
I went to Scotland 2001
to see the place my genes begun
lift a kilt and have some fun
I found myself aboard a train
from Inverness to Aberdeen
disembarking on a whim
ended up in (reads the map) Elgin
The B&B I chose to stay
had Bellevue something in the name
comfy warm and kindly run
by a sweet Canadian
Hunger drew me out of doors
to find a place to sit and gorge
a beer or three I could imbibe
and local yarns to pass the time
On the street I met this bloke
clad in black from head to toe
reading menus on a wall
debating Chinese, Thai, Tandoor
His hair slicked back in da curl
black hair, blue eyes a pouting scowl
a swagger and a tuned guitar
‘Yes ma’am’ in a Memphis drawl
impressive side-burned chops
It had to be, how could it not
he was Elvis, Yes the King
right down to his pinky ring
Not the jumpsuit fringe and weight
the leather one from ‘68
But, as I said when we commenced
I can’t trust my eyes weren’t telling fibs
So I poked him and he blood and bone
Said, ‘Excuse me’ – in his southern tone
‘So Ma’am, would you care to dine?’
and took me for a beer and pie
We sat talked laughed and cried
I told him that I’d heard he died
he smiled with his Elvis lips
leaned across and pinched my chips
We found we shared the B&B
which was a magic sign to me
He asked if he could walk me home
So through the silent town we roamed
and stumbling drunk along the streets
he sang a concert just for me
‘Viva las Vegas’, ‘Blue Suede Shoes’,
‘Love Me Tender’, ‘GI Blues’
Then lost in fields of barley green
he did then start seducing me
I woke in the morning all alone
sore in places he’d known and known
I couldn’t decide how to feel
or whether Elvis was really real
Over the years I’ve often dreamed
Of all the places I have been
to Elgin my thoughts do wing
to the night I shagged the King
Olivia Aroha Giles is a writer and an artist from ‘The Nui’ who lives in ‘P-Town’. She writes adult and young-adult novels, historical non-fiction and illustrated story books. She uses her middle name on her books so people know she’s Māori. She loves egg and chips.