Disused, broken shell,

no sign of work, no indication

of what you are meant to be, just

sitting in cold winter sun

for the last three years

and a symbol of everything that the town

has become, left to rot,

shame of the county,

the once fine building

is our children’s first place

to let off fireworks like cannons

in battle, for this is a war within itself

and the stakes are higher

than at any time;

you were once resplendent, towering glory,

now a façade and a farce, broken times,

defeated yet not crushed, the worst possible outcome

as it delays renewal.

Ian D. Hall 2017