Midcenturyology Poems

There will be no more racing at the dog track The earnest galloping of stick bone limbs is done All the angled trilby hats and rattling charm bracelets The coated kennel maids and deft bookmakers Fill their Thursday evenings elsewhere The Tote windows look on a more literal empty The money rattles in the deepest of pockets High fireweed and spread arm buddleia race To colonise the track remains Until the six lanes of Tarmac choke The race to a standstill starts here Inspiration: " Seance on a Wet Afternoon" (1964, Bryan Forbes) Have you ever wondered, "What Would Margaret Rutherford do?"

  Resting Charabanc Here's another pub spreading over an A road junction  Coach parties are welcome, bladders are emptied and filled again And while the driver waits with his Woodbines and daily papers He drifts again to the plans to acquire his own modest mansion Summer Saturday dust settles on vacated moquette As the engine ticks and cigarette smoke hangs in the yellowed roof The driver turns to the columns of properties to buy, rent or stay Mentally adding and subtracting his savings docket Tarmac tired eyes scan and land on the names of towns on the Eastern level He wants a promenade shelter in place of a bus stop Where he can belch the bit of light ale with a dinnertime sandwich  The rumble of the road replaced by the movement of water on pebble What is Midcenturyology? It's the mid 20th century way of looking at geography, archaeology and local history. It's AA touring books, Red Guides or Shell archaeology gazetteers. It's Dalesman magazines or exhibitions at the...