I went back to Birmingham

Gold cherry

By Jane Hyphen

Thu, 07 Dec 2023
  • 596 reads
14 comments
 

 

I went back to Birmingham

And everything looked nasty

Scruffy, fetid, littered, unloved

Those handsome buildings

Terraces once so ornate

Built by Victorian toil

Blood, sweat and pride

Sofas in the garden

Pitbulls on the streets

Beautiful gardens neglected

Paved over for vehicles

Aggressive drivers hooting

Faces lit up with hate

The traffic was loathsome

The air felt like poison

People looked unhealthy

A mix of greed and deprivation

 

I went back to Birmingham

The place was never great

But now it’s horrific

A town centre of junkies

The suburbs polluted

Shops boarded up

People desperate and sick

I felt unsafe, threatened

Was once a brutal square

Cold but sort of charming

Now it is a sputnik

Hard and full of barbs

Redeeming features, nil

I wonder how much lower

It can sink and what’s to blame…

 

 

Certificate U
Poem

Comments

Submitted by Kris on

I got a chill, I could feel it, I felt like the weather was cold & gray... But I kept reading so I could see it... through your eyes..... took me there it did.......

Sending a bit of sunshine & congrats, well done*

angelyes

 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

Hi Kris. Thanks for reading. Fortunately we do have some sunshine today, finally. I didn't want it to be all depressing but that's how it was.

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

You could probably feel the same in many inner cities. It is easy though to be generic, I think those sacrificial city mission workers and volunteers have some treasure stories to report as well as the big lows and deep concerns. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

I think sadly you're right, Rhiannon but I suppose some cities are worse than others. It seems our priorities don't currently match what our cities were originally designed for and many residents are lacking access to safe green spaces, healthy food, clean air, affordable transport and the opportunity to earn enough to live on and a bit more. I know there are some positive stories and people trying hard to do good.

 

Submitted by rjnewlyn on

This is our Facebook and Twitter Pick of the Day! Please share/retweet if you like it

Picture Credit: https://flickr.com/photos/150400645@N06/51323892597

(Jane – the picture has been added for publicity purposes. Please feel free to change or remove.)

 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

Thank you for POTD. 

 

Submitted by Mark Say on

A stirring poem .... in a brutal sort of way.

 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

Thank you for reading, Mark. Brutal is it - unfortunately.

 

Submitted by blighters rock on

The only time I nearly went to brum was with an ex who grew up in dudlie and wanted to see it again. We got as far as some stage on the m40 and then someone side swiped us at 70 odd mph. We smacked into the central reservation then overturned on a glass roof and slid 100 yards. If the glass broke, heads would have been coleslaw . Turned out he was visiting his bro in brum. Had his kid, his wife and mum in the car. And did a runner the bastard. They caught him at Dover trying to flee. My only nearly time in brum. Proper scarring

 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

That is absolutely awful. Not worth losing your life for a trip to Dudley.

It's hard to believe now but at fifteen years old, I used to go into the city centre to The Dome, Europe's biggest nightclub. It felt safer thirty odd years ago, although I remember lots of really strange people.surprise. Birmingham both scares me and depresses me thesedays. Thank you for reading.

 

Submitted by celticman on

we ne'er step into the same stream twice, especially not if it's polluted. 

 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

That's true, and I was polluted with Pernod too. 

 

Submitted by Mark Burrow on

Enjoyed this, Jane. Was chatting about Brum to my partner the other day. I used to have to go there quite a bit for work and never felt a love for the place, but she thinks it's great. Interesting to read your take on it. 

 

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

Thanks for reading, Mark. I felt like the place was on the up about ten/fifteen years ago, there was lots happening, cash injections from government, an emphasis on culture but that was all on borrowed money and how quickly things decline. It's taken a dark turn since the pandemic like so many towns.