Daily missive for Thursday the 9th of April.~by Peter Forster

 

 

Daily missive for Thursday the 9th of April.

And so to Bath
It is time we took the waters.
Which sounds not unlike
Samuel Pepys or
The Regency fops
Powdered and bewigged
Inhaling the sweet smell of roses
From a vinaigrette
And turning up their noses
At the sight of the unwashed.
But times change,
You can in fact,
Find real folk
Living ordinary lives
Everywhere today.
In days of yore
The landed gentry
May have referred to
The hoi-polloi.
And would have quickly
Turned away from the
Tourist class,
Who travel in coaches,
Or shiny cars.
They may even ride motor bikes,
Stand outside cafes and bars.
And they have money.
Nowadays it is the toffs
Who doff their hats
To the fat cats
And nouveau riche.
As they all stand
Happily together,

Outside the roman baths,
Watching a street performer
Sing the blues
In a cobbled courtyard.
God knows
He has to work hard
To hold their interest,
As they drink lager,
Or frappuccino.
On days like these
They tend to do
Whatever it is
That takes their fancy,
Some of them even try
To outlast the human
Statue,

Bedecked in gold,
Barely breathing,
And leaning at such
A precarious angle
He must surely fall down.
But he is not a clown
And most people give
Their money up,
Throw it into a gold painted cup
And move on.
Just a few hours
To look at the sights
Before they jump in the car,
Leave the re-furbished spa
In ye olde Roman town
With all of its history,
And set course for Stratford,
Where they can
Afford to buy
A slice of Shakespeare
And watch a tragedy,
Comedy or mystery.