Waltmarie
The fallen unpeopled hallways of life

Do you like marmite?

where did all the grim go? 
Something new to fear beneath the four poster bed
Daughters of despair wait for the hirsute man with the large teeth 
and a penchant for Moonlight Sonata.

Do you like Marmite?

The jukebox unplugged but Beatle songs 
still  haunt the tired rooms.

counting yesterdays over the shadows 
of the way Stockport used to be
Mocking time with written words that rhyme 
but only on the even lines
Rats run wild in the streets to the sound 
of a forgotten rock star

Do you like  marmite?

Eleventeen stumps to end the week, as pigeons defecate
chatting like a dialogue of souls
following their footsteps across the beach,
until the pangs of hunger strike again