A long way from anywhere (July, Nantwich)

Country air

The canal's scent (blocked
Drains) competes with the odour
Of manure-spreading


Gridlock

The road system makes
The most of its meagre traffic
With traffic lights


Throwbacks

Bored teenagers sit
On benches, like everywhere,
But they sometimes smile


New horizons

Many have departed
Leaving the old, the young, and
The unambitious


The bells, the bells

Thursday night practice
Peals ring out, a marathon
Of matrimony


Dissonance

A charity shop
Shows misery memoirs as
Its best-selling books


Holiday

The schools, offices,
Cafes, even the hotels,
Close for the summer


Fine distinctions

They are proud to be
From Cheshire, not Merseyside,
But sound like Scousers


Hard sell

The sign to the town
From the supermarket pleads
For more visitors


27/07/10