News of the Dredge

News of the Dredge

I nearly did,
I nearly picked the crumpled paper,
From the gum-stained seat,
It would have been mine,
My foggy-eyed slant,
On the day in London,
But for the lady,
Who leafed through it,
Spluttering, coughing,
Making me want to read,
Bold inside headlines,
Then fluing it away,
I sneeze,
She's got me already,
News of the dredge,
Is my downfall,
For the week.