By Kenn Taylor
I went on a journey
of nostalgia
to somewhere I used to go
Down a dark path
In an unloved park
In an unloved town
The building was still there
but now secure
Plywood
and wire mesh
On every window
and door
Through a crack though
there was a gap enough to view
that where once there had been
animals to see
and friendly, old staff
now only
rubble and decay
Overgrown and abandoned
Another tiny tragedy
There are a million more
No headlines or campaigns
Just one more quiet sacrifice
to the god of austerity
While those that caused the mess
carry on
as before
A decision made over an account sheet
by people
who know the value of nothing
People who then wonder why
so many of the young
don’t even try
Protecting our grandchildren, they say
from the debts of today
I have to wonder though
what will be left for them
tomorrow
The piece appeared in the January 2014 edition of The Shrieking Violet.
Kenn Taylor 