Photo copyright © Public Domain Dedication (CC0)
By Alan Morrison
Don’t flag
Agatha Rag—
Though the long August days are parched & drag,
Roll up your baggage & your sleeping bag
& manage a smile though your wrinkles sag
(A frangible grimace) as you salvage a fag—
Time stands still & stains & tans
The aniline leather of your face & hands—
Against all gains your clanging laughter snags
On the agitated bargaining of Saturday stalls,
Contemptuous of price tags
& all bartered things—
O Agatha Rag,
Your catarrh-rattling laughter
Clatters through the high street like a kicked tin can.
This poem is taken from Rag Argonauts (Caparison, 2024).
It was broadcast on BBC Radio Sussex on 23 October 2024.
