An Ode from Down Under
Bill Cunningham
Leith Walk, Saturday Night, Winter 1930s
Trams trundle past.
Destinations a world away;
A penny takes you to
Portobello, Liberton,
Corstorphine, Granton;
Not many have a penny.
Entertainment is on the street;
A piper outside Dan Cowan`s;
Inside men drinking their dole money,
Remembering the "War to end all Wars'.
The Kirkgate thronged with mothers
Shopping for late night bargains;
Pigs` feet, salt herring, ham ribs,
Pies three a penny.
Seaman buying short-lived friendship
From women in garish make-up
Disappear up ill-lit closes
And return in fifteen minutes.
John Cormack preaches "No Popery',
nearby a bronze Queen Victoria
pays little heed.
Shop windows start to dim.
Drunks wend their way home;
Tomorrow, God`s special day.
Overnight, street cleaners
Will make it fit for His presence.
Bill Cunningham
