Ode to a lamp-post
I have a tale to tell you
That will make you laugh and cry,
It’s history as it happened -
The day our lamp-post died.
It began one sunny afternoon
As I settled in my chair,
My radio tuned beside me,
Afternoon theatre on the air.
With a cup of tea poised in my hand
I absently observed
The Alpine truck deliver
And then casually reverse.
The radio play continued
And I began to snooze
As the tranquil heat got to me,
But then… all hell broke loose!
The lamp-post and the lorry
Faced the fight without a sound;
The lorry struck first blow,
And the lamp-post hit the gound.
Time stood still in horror
As it lay there on the floor:
It gave a final shudder,
and then it moved no more.
So it is with the deepest sorrow
That I must now report
The untimely death and black-out
Of a lamp in Nobel Court.
No more friendly orange glow
will brighten up the night -
For at five past three on Tuesday
It gave up without a fight.
Dot. and Ray will miss it most-
More than others they will morn
For the post that once stood proud and tall,
now lays across their lawn.
And though the driver of the truck
Expressed that he was sorry,
The fact remains - the lamp-post died -
Yet barely scratched the lorry!
Now we can but hope that Seeboard
Will soon put the matter right,
And lighten up our darkness
With the resurrection of our light.
(So the moral of this story
Is clear, without a doubt:
Though alcohol can light you up -
soft drinks can put them out!)
To Margret Tetley
Some regard married life as a test
While myself - I feel it’s a jest
But they say love’s blind
So if you won’t change your mind
Then I guess it must be for the best.
