Howard Park

H is for
Howard Park
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Under the gentle glades
The empties glisten
Beer cans lager and cider
The cheap kind
Broken glass sparkles under the sun
Gaudy bottles reek of wine
And lipstick and urine
Puddles of vomit done in a hurry
Stepping stones of bad habits
Corkless phials----prescribed
Empty of pills
Overflowing litterbins
Beside the broken fences
Palm prints in mud
Footmarks on benches
Condoms flat and used
Cold seed within
Syringes make blood run cold
And amid this human detritus
A pole with a sign
Stark and commanding
"Penalties For Dog-Fouling"