At the end, we start with a beginning. It’s the road I use every day of my life, connects here with there, is indivisible from the life of this town. Sure you can get into Southend in lots of other ways, but this is the main way, the big road, withe the speed cameras and the tourists not understanding how you merge from three lanes to two. It’s a challenge and huge fun and woe betide if there’s a problem at The Bell.

It’s also had more poetry written about it in this household than anywhere else in the borough. I need to get out more…

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The A127 :: Road to Everywhere

This is the road:
bisects borough
checking speed
Progress left
way Fair right
three lanes
become a pain
reducing to
Mini diorama;
footbridge drama.

This is car’s code:
London’s hauling
speed adherence
camera’s flashing
Tesco’s extra
lane avoidance
airport’s runway
roundabout drama
don’t slow down;
front wing’s gone.

This is the load:
fresh recycling
hay bales wobbling
green foil racer
ambulance hastens
make a space
could be you one day
urban clearway
exhausted pace
their daily race.

This is my life:
there and back
eaten, tracked
Google mapped
school, supermarket
fast mood, slow
packed instants
recalled, other’s
lives observed,
remembered
more
than
mine.

This line; constant… park.