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Something for Everyone

 

Seeds, sheets, plugs, paint; something of everything

if not much range. Pots, pencils, saucers, plates;

pocket-money treasures, find a present

for your gran. Towels, wrapping paper, pins.

Sometimes you came away with a bargain.

If only they didn’t keep moving the plants,

picture frames, toys, socks and sockets, sweets.

Times changed; you only called in now and then

 

 

How did they do it? They don’t any longer,

the stores you thought would last forever,

so cheap and cheerful, if lacking style.

Now where can you buy a tube of glue?

Kettles, scissors; sorry, can’t help you

A boarded-up gap in the high street’s smile

shopping

◄ World Cup haiku

Flotsam ►

Comments

tony sheridan

Tue 2nd Oct 2012 12:05

These stores are now known as car boot sales! Take care, Tony.

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Cynthia Buell Thomas

Mon 12th Jul 2010 13:17

I'm obviously almost a dinosaur - i should have twigged to the 'sonnet form' by the stanza set-up, but I missed the clear rhymes as signposts. I have yet to tackle one; maybe this summer.

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David Cooke

Thu 8th Jul 2010 13:20

Hi Greg I like this one and what interests me is the sound play in the lists. Obviously alliteration, but there are more subtle effects with the vowels chiming with each other. I don't have a problem with lines 6 & 7, but maybe line 5 is a little flatter than the rest for my ears and needs a tweak.

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Jeff Dawson

Mon 5th Jul 2010 17:49

Hi Greg, its all pondstretcher, poundworld etc now!! No Pick n Mix in there!! Cheers Jeff

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Greg Freeman

Sun 4th Jul 2010 13:56

Thanks very much for your suggestions, Cynthia. You're right, it is a bit shambolic, as is most of my poetry, but the trouble is, it's meant to be a sonnet, and so removing lines 6 and 7 would put me in breach of the trades descriptions act!

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Cynthia Buell Thomas

Sun 4th Jul 2010 11:17

I like the sentiment. Saying it has 'potential' sounds so snarky, but it is what I do think. I know the lack of 'form' is implicit with the Woolie's idea of harum-scarum goods for sale, but I still think it could be, as a poem, more organized to fully express your thought. I would drop lines 6 and 7 of the first stanza as an example. I don't see what they contribute to encapsulate your idea.

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Greg Freeman

Sat 3rd Jul 2010 10:59

This is a bit out of date now, because a lot of the old stores are no longer unoccupied. But I still miss Woolies!

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