Back, as sharp as ever, stocktaking, brazen
but just in case the jets up early have covered
the sky in contrails, distracting us with tic-tac-toe
so we forget to wag our finger at the stranger.
Now we know where we are again.
No respecter of hangovers,
nor malingering idleness,
she notes that there is still plenty of showbiz -
how these high kicking musicals run and run
in defiance of the pundits!
And though chain stores fail,
streets half boarded up and stark
still small thriving family firms trade on:
their gold glittering in the cold day,
the glib fat clusters of seed
and the blood colours of the berry banks.
............................
*the Sun