The lighter side

A short relocation poem about tannins
by T Gaskin

Damian, based in South for sins,
Located now in St ‘Albins’.
He's finding 'tea' the major source
of feeling homesick for the North;
The water yields a heavy slick,
He serves the tea in wedges, thick.

Tetley, Typhoo, Yorkshire Gold,
(He's not very posh if truth be told)
PG, Clipper, 99 brand,
(that's 'Co-op', which the South have banned)
They all just taste of muddy water,
The tea 'don't taste like what it oughta'.
And even cups in cafés, dear,
Where you would hope the water's clear,
They put the milk in on the bag,
with water cool and high price tag.
Despite a search Home County-wide,
He's just not being satisfied.

At night, with bag and mug he roams,
and pines for brews of Northern homes.
So cheer him up, for goodness sake,
Pop in for slice of tea and cake.

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the lighter sideArchive

A Bus Ride by Damian

“Hoy mate. He shouted, get a move on,
I'm half’hour late!”
Starting my day with some harassment, that's great,
I think.
While driver struggles to change my twenty
I scrabble for change to make fare
And I wish, how I wish
I put change in the same pocket of the same jacket.

“What you doing, for f*%@’s sake!?” the bully yells.
Driver gives me eighteen pounds in 10 pences
Which I drop
And there goes the ticket
Like a leaf to the floor
& I miss it
It slips away.
I sweat and ignore
Some of the coins
Lost by the door

I thank the driver
Move down bus
Past the tyrant

What might happen?
I think

Will he turn on me
Swear at me
hit me?

I sit behind him
No other place
I wait


Nothing

The bus judders two stops
Half a mile or less
Half an hour late man
Who could have walked it in less
Careers to the door
To alight
Slips on stray coins
Someone dropped on the floor
In their haste
From his hate.
He looses his footing
Flies out the door
Onto his back on the pavement floor

Passengers cheer
Driver pops champagne

Or maybe there's just peace
And a sense of justice and relief

As the bus leaves
We glimpse him move from lying
And I smile and think
Even a credit crunch
Can have a silver lining.