Three Giraffes
Passing them in my car
on the way to work,
I saw three giraffes
in the rush hour jungle.
The tallest staring straight ahead,
the middle one turning traffic wards
and the smallest eyeing the heavens.
Stranded amidst the wreckage
of this garden centre car park
commandeered by builders’ huts
and construction site clutter.
Full size replicas
abandoned by the wire fence,
rope leads cut,
force fed roadwork views.
Silently pleading on the sentimental frequency
for someone with suitable transport
to affect their escape from neglect,
the indifference of hard hats
and fall out of brick dust rain.
In their plastic despair,
Toys ‘R’ Us looms like a savannah.
Andrew Button lives in Market Bosworth, Leicestershire. He has had poems published in various magazines including Orbis, The Interpreter’s House, Canon’s Mouth and Under the Radar. Andrew enjoys the thrill of open mic performance when not working as a librarian in Warwick.