Poetry

Monday 9 November 2020

Budgens Sent (Covid coracle 5)

 Standing in the queue outside

Budgen's post office

A man arrives in a mini

Painted like a cow

I point it out and how

Interesting it seems too

And a rock chick woman

Says it's a pig, and I say a choo!


A man says how dairy

And I say I beg your pardon

Oh I see you're punning free

And this is no place to bargain


One pun a day says me

Is all that I can manage

And he comes back: that's udderly awful

I say you've reached your punnage


Now more and more people want

To join the queue

The man at the front says

Are you for the post office

And if you're for the shop

Go on through


Though he is no charmer

He gets the job done that's all

While a lorry driver steps

Out his cab and asks is this

The toilet line -how cruel!

No, we say there is no queue for fuel


So, this is the only post office

Open in the whole of Wells

And we must all decide

To use it on a Monday noon as well


There is one lone teller

Standing at the stall

Fighting with the tillage

And telling his parcels one and all


When I have sent my tube of paintings

To my sister in Australia

I come out to some applause

The Rock Chick 

Who is the character

has held them all enthrall

And she is entertaining

You would want her on your side

If you ever were complaining

About a public service suicide


Because that is what this is

This crisis of public planning

Why we were queuing outside a petrol station

Being chaperoned and served

By chaps who make one unnerved

Because they've left their personalities at home


Oh for the kindly British post office assistants

Who had the time to talk to you like you were a human being

Rather than like motorists, who have just filled up their tanks

These skin-headed bozos don't deserve our thanks


Although they probably didn't expect to take on this extra role

Why not reserve it for a person who might sing a sweet carole

Perhaps they could chirrup like a cockney sparrow

And keep us all in good spirits while waiting

Rather than left examining our own bone marrow


Maybe play some music outside to keep the troops entertained

Anything but the rather banal forecourt that is rather inhuman

and pained


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