The Stench of Urban Mornings
The waft of summer roses mixes with
The stench of fetid bins.
The clouds of vanilla vapes, as
The cafes newly begin
To fill the air with the sizzle,
Of sausage dripping fat.
While pungent plumes of morning weed,
Drift from open window first floor flats.
Enticed by the smell of
Bakery fresh baked loaves,
Seagulls swirl round
Bags of discarded chips,
In screeching vicious droves.
The pub doors are open
Inhaling last night's spill of beer.
Stale and carpet soaked
Empty echoes yesterday's cheers.
Coughing and spluttering,
The buses wheeze diesel fumes.
Coughing and spluttering,
The old man leaves his musty tobacco-ed room,
To walk among the dust and dirt,
The concrete and the grey.
The smell of disdain and indifference,
No good morning or good day.
Coffee shops conjure an elixir,
For office workers and commuters.
Lost in caffeine reverie,
Before staring hopelessly at computers.
Now rain drenches freshness
On quiet, waking streets.
The smell of wet dogs,
The sweat of joggers
And the smiles of those who greet
You, and pass with a lingering
Minty fresh, aromatic breeze.
Fruity Zing, the shower sings
Cleanliness, yes they're ready to
Seize the day, as they station stride,
Full of ambition, expectation, hope.
Ignoring the stench that rises from a doorway,
Where a sleeping bag contains
Squalor, sadness, no hope, no soap.
The stink reaches you
Long before the sound,
Of binmen's banter,
Black bin day, green bin day
A whiff that travels round
Shops and offices welcome,
The new business of the day.
Disinfected, sanitized, deodorized in a
Lemon scented, pine fresh, mango and coconut haze.
The streets now are humming,
An urban landscape ripe with odours.
Life lived in the olfactory,
Sensory overload of conflicting aromas.
The stench of poverty,
The stench of austerity,
The stench of deprivation.
The stench of wealth,
The stench of inequality,
The stench of this divided nation.
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A walk around the early morning streets of Worcester, imbibing the various smells of the new day. And there were many, synonymous with society.
