Main Street, Morrinsville

Nottingham Castle pub, corner of Thames and Studholme Streets, Morrinsville 3300, New Zealand

Some bright spark on the council suggests modernising our main street,

believing it will encourage visitors through our town to stop,

comfort a priority, then, hopefully, to shop….

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That’s a laugh, no comfort in the central toilet block,

that’s normal though…where-ever you go;

folk are usually pleasant, feeling lighter as they leave,

the time to capture them and re-adjust their sights…

a sign perhaps, large and snappy to lift their eyes and make them happy.

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Around our town, above their heads of window-shoppers on our main street

our old facades of faded paint, chipped red bricks and dusty panes

listing a kind of history in the names of people there.

Photographs, large shop-window size crammed full of detail there to see,

really quite a thrill to view them, time-frozen action shots of people.

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Things we see on gala days, farm engines puffing, snorting and wheezing,

pistons gleaming through the steaming, belts and pulleys, cranks and levers,

care-giver’s eyes happily streaming, adjusting this and checking that,

the women folk are just as bad with fancy dresses and large graceful hats.

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Cake stalls bountifully displaying grandmother’s mouth-watering favourites;

scones, pikelets, oatcakes, sponges and biscuits,

light as a feather cream-cakes all ready for eating.

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So hold it there smart little go-ahead buddy in your desire for all your updating

things pulled down today could be the basis…

a calling-place tourists would love to be filming,

tomorrow.

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Dennis Crompton © 1996

(first published www.denniscrompton.wordpress.com 2013)