Ghost Town
Coventry once was the jewell of the Midlands,
And Dreseden the Diamond of Saxony.
The War did for them, of course, levelled them both,
Cursed for their beauty and factories.
But these days, one is a beauty again,
And the other became a byword for blight –
The perfect place for filming dystopian dramas,
With not a tourist in sight.
And half of its wounds are self-inflicted,
As if the subconscious penance we pay
For the vengeful bombing to tear down beauty –
Is that why the concrete has to stay ?
But the truth is, the Luftwaffe finished the job
That the Council themselves had already begun.
It streaks so grimy whenever it rains,
Yet is equally harsh and grey in the sun.
It’s called ‘brutalist’ for a reason –
Because it’s so raw, like a wound across the eyes.
And meanwhile Dresden has put on her ballgown,
No longer cowering under the skies.
Coventry once was the jewell of the Midlands,
But now reduced to a national joke.
It’s a place for slums and traffic jams,
But it’s no place for Coventry folk.
Coventry is UK City of Culture 2021.
Rhyming Couplets 