SOPHIE’S WORDS: Spoken, Written and Sung
Country Lane
A soiled nappy
sealed with ironic propriety
lies flaccid and grey
staining the green grass verge.
Muddy polythene sheet
flaps like shoddy petticoats
flung over the sandstone wall.
Its plastic pallor
contradicts a time-worn tapestry
of silver lichens and dusky oranges.
Cheap maroon sofa
sagging in shame
blights the entrance to a golden field
spiked and preened from harvest.
And that lovely couple from the white stone cottage
wander down the lane.
Their curly-haired boy on his shiny red bicycle
weaves delight between them.
Baskets
swinging from their arms
fit to receive the blackberry bounty
hanging plump in the hedgerows.
Instead
they gather empty crisp packets
plastic bottles
sweet wrappers
cigarette ends.
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Sophie Bancroft Jan 2018
Beautiful description of an all too common scene that blights our countryside. Let’s hope councils will finally offer a quick and free collection service to stop this happening. And more importantly respond to requests by country lovers and farmers to collect such waste promptly.