An English Winter's Tale
with thanks to Louis MacNeice
Oh dear, oh dear, it snowed last night
The city streets are cloaked in white
At least three inches of the stuff
Have blocked the roads, it’s quite enough.
So it’s no go to school today, it’s no go to the office
The wrong stuff’s on the lines today and the buses are all in the garage.
The Council has run out of grit
They never thought it would come to it
The teachers can’t get in today
The children have gone off to play.
So it’s no go to the motorway, it’s no go the by-pass
My bike is under a load of hay and I’ve lost my uncle’s eyeglass.
The snow plough’s stuck at the Council tip
Behind ten tanks and a rusty ship
They’ve quite forgotten where it lurks
Or even how the damn thing works.
So it’s no go the shovels and spades, it’s no go brawn and braces
We’ve all downed tools and we’re off to watch the local downhill races.
It’s not that we really want to shirk
It just isn’t healthy or safe to work
It’s not that the roads are really icy
But we’re not taking risks when the odds are dicey.
So it’s no go production quotas, it’s no go to the targets
Dad’s gone down to the Rose and Crown and the kids have gone to Margate!
Page(s) 23
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