Houses 2010

 
The street,its Lowry population
perambulating shop to shop
temptation on temptation,
old and new rub shoulders,
leather factories now flats
double glazed and balconied,
blues and terracotta rising
above checkered pavements, canals,
moorhens,dogs and narrow boats.
Peace, no barges snub their way,
lock gates closed beside the bridge.
The place is changed,hammers
long since gone,tanneries too,
no longer Edwardian terraces;
its washing lines across the street
unlocked doors and gossip.
Back to back again
ready for the rent-man.
The scene has changed
as we try again
high above the sidewalk.