Is it enough to watch,

Is it enough to watch,

Mark the passing

With the hint of a smile

As the living walk by

What strange allusions

Do they call to mind

Is their spark of life

So easily dimmed

Can every soul

Be so very different

As ragged curtains fall

On a brief existence

No more stolen

Kitchen sink dramas

Played out in drab colours

Behind faded floral prints

Is it so wrong

To wonder at meaning

As sullen children

Kick a mother’s shins

How many lost souls

Cry for attention

In grey remembered days

As grubby pubs close

Little is left

Of the olden times

When prams were

As big as mobility scooters

Children sat on cold steps

Waiting for dado

Hoping for a fish supper

Before the housekeeping was lost

Throw me a penny

Closest to the wall

Will win the pot

The bully boy pockets the lot

As the living walk on

Each one plays a role

In the storyline

Finding a place in a subplot

As often as not.