Ian Dury at Walthamstow Art College

I see him now at the top of the steps,
leaning against that tall Grecian pillar.

No photo survives, but there he is:
turned-up drainpipes, Docs, the grin and ear-ring.

It was all in place, the casual
tilt of his cap, the cocky angle

of his stick, and the song-spring trickling
through his mind, about to be discovered.

The Bakers Arms

An insidious blight’s spreading round here,
it frays men’s minds like ten pints of beer.

Its windows are clean, it’s quiet and smart,
it empties a man’s wallet, drains his heart.

For a fat chance, for a slimmer profit,
he’ll take the odds with the child benefit.

An insidious blight’s is spreading round here,
it frays men’s minds like ten pints of beer.

Note: In 2010, after 142 years as a pub,
The Bakers Arms became a betting shop.