The neck of the wine cracked open

And I thought I’d better join them

But I didn’t

Instead I looked in or dipped my toes into

Or faced a discrimination so many had done before

 

Friday –

As our taxi rolled in “the Keg” was letting loose

Those just out of school to fight over a woman

Or beat themselves up

I fiddled with the cash machine, as if on the edge of a war zone

 

Saturday –

Police cars piled up like the aftermath of a terrorist attack

But it was only an attack at a taxi rank that had spilled over

We watched from the safety of Tesco’s as if we were watching TV

Revelers recorded the action to share

As soon as they got home

 

Sunday –

Saw on our stroll down our street

A woman drunk and dazed staggering from street to street

Crying into my wife’s arms, finally picked up by what must have been her boyfriend

Not before a gaggle of untamed beasts had noticed

That my wife wasn’t English

And enquired in a tone that beggars belief…

 

In the evening all was dusk and done

And the street lamp that had seen it all

Seemed brighter than before

Shining a light on this poverty

That grows and shines on its and our floor