Elegy Written In Ripon Market Place
Four horn blasts toll the knell of parting day.
The tourists leave. There’s nothing else to see.
Late shoppers homeward plod their weary way,
And leave the square to squalor and to me.
Now shines the orange street light on the sight
Of stubbed out cigarettes, so dearly bought
By smokers who still think they have the right
To miss the bins but never go to court.
Gum chewers too are careless in their aim
And dog owners ignore the public’s moans.
Street drinkers also have their share of blame
For broken glass upon the new laid stones.
The gluttons, worst of all, have passed this way.
Discarded wrappings prove they’ve had their fix
Of pizza, kebabs, fish and chips, yet may
Have still found room for bags of Pick and Mix.
For many a box of polystyrene
A greasy, half chewed fast food burger bear
And many a consumer, growing green,
Adds their aroma to the Ripon air.