for eight years Volunteering,
no longer with two ragged cuffs –
a much more tidy feeling.
When I started all those years ago
I asked about the rig -
for scruffy when on public show
would be quite “infra dig”.
A trip to M and S ensued,
Dark trousers purchased there –
plus shoes & socks in darkest black -
that’s what I had to wear.
The collar’s turned on my first shirt,
but cuffs defeated me;
(The issue fleece can hide them,
so the visitors can’t see).
But now a further problem -
as the years are passing by,
the shoes are getting tatty
however hard I try.
The right one has a nasty split
(though only worn on shift) –
so should I buy a new pair?
and give morale a lift.
New shoes could outlast me –
when this Oldie is retired,
but no one has yet told me
when I’ll be “Time Expired”
Mike Pennell (NMMC Poet Laureate)
